Friday, June 13, 2008

Grab Bag Friday: Somebody Give This Man a Medal

First off, if you're looking for a last-minute Father's Day gift, Have Fun Do Good posted a great list of Do-Good Gifts for Dad.

Now here are just a very few of the things that make *my* dad great:

He loves the outdoors.

He counts his blessings.

He always finds a way to be happy, no matter what the odds.

He lets the small stuff go (as he puts it, "Like water off a duck's back").

He lets the important stuff count.

When I wanted to spend an entire summer perfecting my running stride (don't ask why, it's inexplicable even to me) he was there every day with the harness, the timer, the pep talks, and (thank God) no camera.

He always forces you to do things when he *knows* you'll feel better afterwards. (Usually waterskiing, running, pushing through that last twilight hour to finish a project.)

He never makes you feel bad about quitting when he knows you gave it your best shot (like in 5th grade when I gave up on trombone after using my toe for 6 months to reach the low notes...when the band teacher refused to let me switch instruments *or* leave band, my dad strolled in, handed him the trombone and said "She's done.")

When Kevin & I bought our house in Maine and the basement flooded in the first week, he came all the way out from Wisconsin and in *five* days put in a new sump pump, installed a dishwasher, put in kitchen floors, a new venting system in the bathroom, did something useful to our circuit board, and helped pack and unpack our gigantic U-Haul (mostly books). Plus, somehow found time to secretly plant three trees in the backyard. Like a superhero.

There are a million other small but important things that I could never fit in a blog and he would be embarrassed about anyway because on top of it all, he's truly humble.

Happy Father's Day, Padre! I love you!

4 comments:

Amy Schimler-Safford said...

Ohhh, that was lovely. What a lucky girl you are - that just made me smile all over.

Anna Vodicka said...

I'll add a few to that list:

Dad never stops learning or challenging himself--whether it's through books, marathons, house "projects" (i.e. tearing apart a wall...or a room...to make it better), traveling to new places, learning the scary ways of the internet, or talking politics with opposing-party kids, he pushes himself to do new things and grow constantly. He's our Banana George! I only hope I can be the same way.

He's a master of focusing on the good stuff in life: Zippity-Doo-Da!

He got me through my first (make that my last) marathon

He does the Twist. He likes Tina Turner. He turned his kids on to the Beach Boys and the Andrews Sisters.

Buttermilk pancakes. And real maple syrup--none of that fake stuff.

He loves his family. And we couldn't be luckier! Love you, Dad!

Anonymous said...

A dad who would go to the ends of the earth for his six kids, and who makes each of his grandkids feel like the most important child in the world. Thank you for being so involved in our lives. It has made us who we are, and who we want to become. It truly is a wonderful life!

Britt Bravo said...

Thanks for sharing my do-good Father's Day gift list (: