Happy Fathers Day to the Worlds Greatest Dad!!

***A quick disclaimer before I begin...the worlds greatest Dad title would be a tie in my mind between Joe & my Dad. But, being that my Dad is MY Dad, and it is Father's Day, I really want to honor him today!...***

Daddy, where do I begin?? You are not only the worlds greatest Dad, but you are also my personal Hero. I have always adored you and looked up to you, but every passing day since Mom has passed away I have done the impossible, I've grown in my respect for you! As a result of this 10 year trial of Mom's sickness, death and now this season of loneliness and mourning, you have only chosen to praise the Lord. That is remarkable. You have never charged God or said he wasn't good. With every trial you encounter you only shout his praises louder. While this is only by the grace of God, it is not without you daily dropping on your knees, crying out to God with all your heart. It is also not without your faithful, daily meeting with the Lord. And I know you meet with God more than just once a day, it is often multiple times a day. You truly meditate on God's word day and night through the literally hundreds and hundreds of verses you have memorized these past three years and the literally hundreds and hundred of sermons you have downloaded on your ipod and listen to daily. You are so dependant on God's word for your daily strength, that multiple times a day you are seen pulling out your palm, scrolling through and reading the verses you are memorizing. I have never seen anyone meditate on God's word the way you do. You may forget this now, but that was a huge prayer of Mom's for you- that you would dive even deeper into Gods Word. She would be SO proud of you!! What an answered prayer! 

    You are an amazing man of God who is humble, faithful and teachable. Or "FAT" as you say "Faithful Available and Teachable". You have surrounded yourself with godly men and a multitude of counselors. You are quick to share struggles and ask for prayer, and while you could be, you are definitely not impressed with yourself. 

    You are also an incredible example of "not wasting your life" as John Piper would say. You life every day for Gods glory, always focused on the Lord and others, and not yourself. You have your eyes on eternity, and one HUGE way this is evident is the way you do you finances. I personally have never met a man so generous. There is probably not a day that goes by that you haven't blessed someone with something...and it is almost always done anonymously. While most of what you give I  do not even know about, what I do know is incredible. You see it as God's money, and all the money he has blessed you with you see as an opportunity to give...whether it be blessing someone with dinner, surprising a hurting friend with a basket of gift cards, sponsoring a child, buying a single mom a much needed washer & dryer, sending money to an unemployed friend or paying to repair a friends car. These are seriously small examples of where your money has gone, and almost every time you give no one knows about it since you do it anonymously. I can't wait until you get to Heaven and the thousands of people you have blessed are able to thank you.   

   You were also one incredible husband. You loved Mom with all your heart and would have given your life for her. In fact you often prayed that God would take you instead of her. You loved her & romanced her. You led Mom and provided for her. You were faithful to Mom and had eyes only for her. You always told her she was the most beautiful woman in the world. You took Mom on dates & made your marriage the highest priority. You LOVED being married!! Thank you for loving Mom and being the most amazing example of a godly husband who passionately loved his wife! Your example of what a godly husband should be is largely why I found the most incredible man I did!!! 

    Lastly, there is no Dad more worthy of honor than you. All three of your kids would say that with NO hesitation. You have been a devoted, faithful Dad since the day we were born. You have excelled at teaching us about the Lord, his Word and training us in godliness.  You have not only taught us verbally, but through your own life & example as well. You made us a priority from day one, being involved in every area of our life. You coached us all in soccer, making it to every practice & game of all three kids. Every day when you'd get home from work you'd spend the rest of the day in the backyard playing with us. You went on "dates" with each of us every week! It started as a donut date when I was Alathea's age and I remember sitting on the bar stool at "Montgomery Donuts" at two years old having so much fun with my Daddy. Then we advanced to having lunch together in high school and in college we still met every single week for our date at a different restaurant on Rockville Pike. Now, despite your dislike of Starbucks, we go there every time we are together because you love me so much!! These dates have laid a foundation for you to speak into my life- and it has enabled you to always have been one of my best friends!! Thank you for loving your three kids so amazingly well. You have been the best Daddy a kid could ever ask for. You have loved us and encouraged us so well. You have been involved in every area of our lives and taught us how to laugh & have fun. You have taught us about the Lord and held our hands as we have walked through trials. You are also now the best Pop-Pop ever to your two grand daughters who adore you so! Thanks for all the wonderful memories so far and I'm so excited for the many, many more to come. I love you, Daddy!!! Happy Fathers Day!