I Am Blessed To Have You As My Earthly Father

Edited to add:

I wrote this for my father in lieu of a Father’s Day card. I was inspired by canadagirl. She had written a tribute in memory of her father. My Dad was touched by my words. They validated the role he had in shaping me. I told him how much I appreciated him. So often we get busy or assume the other person knows how we feel. But, words are powerful. My Dad printed this out and showed it off ~

Thanks and praise,
For our days,
‘Neath the sun,
Neath the stars,
‘Neath the sky,
As we go,
This we know,
God is nigh.

My Dad died two and a half months after reading my words of love. This blog entry became the foundation of the message I read at his funeral in September of 2006. I am so glad that the Holy Spirit used a virtual friend to inspire my heart to tell my Dad how much he was loved while he was still alive.

My Dad’s Eulogy:

The Bible teaches us in 1 Corinthians 13 that the spiritual gifts of faith, hope and love are timeless, but that love is the greatest of these. With my father’s death, I have gained new insight into the value of love. Love endures. A man lives by his own faith and hope; faith and hope are of no service to others. My dad lived the greater gift. By loving and serving his family, he created a legacy of love that is durable and has eternal impact.

On Father’s Day this year, I chose to send my dad a message of faith, hope and love. I wrote a letter of blessing to my father. I wanted to honor him and let him know what a positive influence he had been on my life. My mom has asked that I read his blessing. I am so glad I had taken the time to share my thoughts with my dad while he was still alive.

What is wonderful about these blessing is that I do not need to speak in past tense. The eternal character of love means that my dad’s character and example bless me still today. I can speak of my dad in the present tense. But, more than that, the nature of love, the blessings he left me are both continuing and progressive. I will feel his love daily and I will pass his love on to my own children. Dad, you have blessed me!

• I am blessed because you formed the image of my heavenly Father. You protected me and gave me good gifts. I am able to love God, because you showed me that submitting to a father is a wonderful, safe thing to do.
• I am blessed because you refused to compromise when I was a teenager and wanted more freedoms because, “Everyone was doing it…”
• I am blessed because you taught me that breaking a rule has consequences.
• I am blessed because you taught me that love is constant and unconditional. You told me once that love is doing what is right even when it’s hard. At the time, I didn’t know how hard love could be. Those words echo in my brain and anchor me when my own love relationships get tough.
• I am blessed because you and mom spent many sleepless nights trying to comfort me when I stayed awake crying because I thought nobody loved me. You were confused by my tears, but awake and cuddling me none-the-less.
• I am blessed because you and mom modeled dedication in marriage. You showed me that the most important part of a marriage relationship is standing together in times of trouble; being each other’s best friend and greatest fan.
• I am blessed because you have always been there for me and supported me even when you didn’t agree with my decision. You were there to pick up the pieces when my best laid plans shattered.
• I am blessed because you invested your time in me. As the king of Hearts and the Yahtzee champion, you taught me to play games with my kids.
• I am blessed because I had the best car in my elementary school reading race. Remember, I had broken my arm and couldn’t make my own. You drew me a racecar that was the envy of the entire class.
• I am blessed because you carefully glued together the ceramic Santa I made in Girl Scouts and broke before I even got it home. But every year, you and mom display it proudly as one of your treasures.
• I am blessed because you have always given me Wise Counsel.
• I am blessed because you set a standard of hard work that has allowed me to become a successful adult.
• I am blessed because you have always pushed me to be more than I thought I was capable of being.

My example: I am blessed because… on Letters from Dad.