Father's Day Post- Part I

"The greatest gift a Dad can give his children is to show their Mom that he loves her."
or something like that....

I grew up hearing this phrase from my Dad all the time.  And trust me, as a kid, seeing your Dad kiss your Mom does not seem better than a Barbie Convertible.  But as an adult, it is pretty much priceless.

It's Father's Day.  The day we all stop to pay tribute to our Dads. The men who raised us.  Who taught us important things like how to throw a ball like a boy- not like a girl.  And how to build a fire when you are camping.   How to sleep in church without anyone noticing.  How to plant a garden.  How to ride a bike without training wheels.  How to serve a mission.  And my family's personal favorite, and little known fact: "It will stop hurting when you stop crying"  We buy our dad's ties, utensils for the BBQ, and books with random facts (if you have my Dad).  We try to visit them, or at least remember to call them. (does a blog post count as a phone call? just kidding)  We celebrate them. 

As I have reflected on the wonderful man that I call Dad- I kept coming back to that saying about him giving us the greatest gift by loving our Mom.  I had no idea how significant that was.  Marriage can be hard. (not mine, of course, it is easy and perfect)  Life in general can be hard.  But I grew up knowing that my Dad loved my mom.  This was an Eternal truth in our home.  There was no doubt or worry that he might change his mind or abandon us.  And in doing that - he taught me something to look for in a husband.  Someone who would love me.

My kids are so blessed.  Not just because they have the greatest Dad who will teach them how to ride a bike, and fix a tire, and climb  a tree (although JT is doing all of those things) they are blessed because every day they see him love their mom.

I wanted to have a beautiful post on here today with pictures of JT and our three beautiful children.  Unfortunately this has been the week from hell.  (Is that swearing? I don't know, but it is the only way I can describe this week.  And the rule in my house growing up was if you heard my mom use a bad word you were then allowed to use it yourself, and I am sure she has probably said "hell" before, so I am going under that clause and using it in my blog.  Thanks Mom) And JT's Birthday and Father's Day have been crushed under the weight of it all.  He is well aware of this.  And yet, he hasn't been upset.  He did the dishes from the Birthday Cake Disaster and the mess that Riley and I left in our wake.  He played with the kids all day today while I ran around like a crazy woman.  He cleaned the kitchen (again) from another baking adventure.  He keeps taking care of me and he really isn't getting anything in return. (Not even a blog post with pictures of him being an amazing dad!)

But the thing is- he loves me.  He really truly loves me.  It is an Eternal truth in this house.  So this year, instead of the Blog Post he always wanted (lol, I am laughing at the idea of a guy wanting a blog post over something from R.E.I),  and instead of something wrapped in ribbons (again, hopefully from R.E.I)  he is giving the gift this Father's Day. 

He is giving his kids the greatest gift any dad could give:  he loves their mom.  And I am so grateful that that it is me.

P.S. My Goal is to actually have a real post, with real pictures of JT being a really amazing Dad--- it will be posted between now and next June.