For those who know me well, you know that I typically run 100 mph in 100 different directions. I have decided that it's hereditary, and I get it from my dad. I've recently had several blog ideas floating around in my head and have had ZERO time to even write any of them down, much less actually blog about them. (Sometimes it's tough having no margin in your life.) However, I was not going to skip this one!
Today is my dad's birthday. He would have been 59 years old. (Wow. That's sound weird to me for some reason.) He fought cancer for over six years - he even kicked cancer's tail a few times. However, he lost his battle on Sunday, March 4, 2007, at 1:00 in the morning. He was the most wonderful man that I've ever known. I know that many girls would say that about their daddies, but he was truly amazing! Dad always loved a good party. He was a "more-the-merrier" type of person. I guess that's where I get it from! He never expected big, expensive gifts because he was more than satisfied with a bag of Twizzlers and/or gummy bears. They were his favorite!
As I sit here, staring at his picture next to my computer, I'm thinking about all the things he's missing. He didn't get to walk my sister down the aisle on her wedding day, nor will he get to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day - someday. He'll never get to hold Spencer or any of his future grandkids. And man, he would SO be loving this church planting gig! My friend, LaRissa, once said that he was a church planter before any of us even knew what church planting was! That was just the kind of man that he was - meeting people where they were and taking Jesus to them. He didn't wait for them to walk through the doors of a church building. He taught people how to BE the church.
There are so many people in my life now who never got to meet him, and I know that the older I get, that will be more and more of a reality. After my dad passed away, one of my dearest friends, Liz, reminded me that Jesus accomplished everything on earth that God needed him to in 33 years before dying on the cross. And my dad, although we thought he was too young to die, accomplished everything on earth that God needed him to in 55 years. And even though it makes me sad, I know he's with Jesus. And that's the BEST birthday gift.
Daddy, I miss you and I love you. More than you'll ever know!
