I don’t know what it was like today where you live, but at my house it was beautiful. The sky was a wonderful color of blue with picture perfect fluffy white clouds. The corn in the field behind our house is a gorgeous green and watching it dance in the breeze that was blowing all day was just plain calming. We live in a great location and today’s beauty is just one of the reasons we feel that way. A friend told me she recently drove by our house, something she hasn’t done in a while, and thought it seemed quite like a retreat! Honestly, we have always considered it just that. Our home is a gift from God and we express our thanks to him on a regular basis.
Granted, it was hot. Sweltering in some cases depending on my activity level! Our electric was off in the early morning which meant no air conditioning. Nathaniel and I opened all the windows and let the breeze cool the house as much as possible (anyone remember the days when that was the air conditioner?). I left them open even after the electric was up and running again. There was just something nice about hearing the breeze and feeling it when I walked by a door or window. Since I was the only one home, I could get by with that….Eric and the kids would not have thought it was such a good idea!
In the afternoon I stopped working and sat on the front porch swing. Eric and I used to do that a lot. If we had spent the day fixing things or cleaning we’d grab a cup of ice water (or coffee for one of us ) and sit on the swing just talking, loving the day and thanking God for so many blessings. Today the swing was only occupied by one (which is a good thing because it’s cracking in some spots) but my thoughts were of two. I have heard there will come a time when I will realize I have gone a whole day and not thought of Eric; that time has not come for me. He is still very much in my heart and thoughts especially on days like today.
Tomorrow is Father’s Day. Our family will gather and we will celebrate. We are missing a dad from our ranks but we still have some good ones to be thankful for. We are a blessed family. We are missing a key element and we all feel that loss but there is much to be thankful for and we will concentrate on those things.
We are thankful Eric was a father who loved deeply. There was not a day he did not pray for his children – for their safety, their direction in life and their relationship with Jesus. Being a dad was a true pleasure to him and he was proud of his kids. I miss hearing his prayers for them and am not quite certain they are not being said even now(You think?)
We are thankful for my dad’s health and recovery from cancer these past few years. He’s another dad who loves much and we are glad to celebrate with him tomorrow. My brothers have wonderful children and tomorrow when we’re all together it will be chaotic and noisy and great fun!
Then, there are my own grandchildren. Number six will be here in a few weeks and Christopher will be a father twice over. The generations keep going and we are blessed by the new additions to the family. I wish Eric could see his son being a father. There’s nothing quite like that and it would be so fun to see them together. Madilynn, Alivia, Sam and Jack were all held by him and he knew them even if only for a short time. Aubri, Owen and any others we get to have will not have that privilege. They will never know Papaw Eric and I wish that was different, but he will still influence their lives as we pass on his values and share stories of him. He is not with us but they will know him.
I want to encourage all fathers today to pray for their children. Every family has its own set of circumstances and not many families are “picture perfect” but every father can pray. You may not live in the same household as your children but you can pray. Perhaps your children are grown and the opportunity to share their childhood is long gone; you can still pray. Maybe your children are experiencing that difficult transition from child to adult and things are uncharacteristically strained between you – pray. There is no greater gift you can give your children than your prayers. There is no greater investment you can make in their character than to pray for them.
Prayer will do what you cannot. Prayer will benefit them long after you are gone – I know that for a fact.
I realize we typically give gifts to fathers on this day rather than tell them what gift they can give, but take it from someone who had a praying husband – prayer is the gift that keeps on giving and you won’t regret the time you invest. After all, it’s really not the one with the most toys that wins, it’s the one with the family that’s sold out to Jesus through thick and thin.
…and he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,…
Malachi 4:6 NKJV
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