Sunday, June 21, 2009

Remembering Dad


The words below the picture are from the last Father's Day card I ever gave my dad. He passed away less than a month later. This is my fifth Father's Day without him. Yet he is always with me. Because these words describe not only his character, but the man I strive to be. I am blessed by his example. Thanks, Dad.



I WANT TO FOLLOW
IN THE FOOTSTEPS
OF MY DAD

I want to treat people
with kindness, to be giving
and to put others first...

I want to be strong in the face
of difficult circumstances,
to allow my trust in God to
keep my heart at peace...

I want to be loving and gentle,
to make the world a better place
by letting Jesus shine through
the things I do.

Thank you, Dad,
for showing me how to live
out my faith day to day,
and for giving me a
wonderful path to follow -
it's a gift I'll appreciate
all of my life.

With Love
On Father's Day


You're a wonderful dad.
I love you.
David



5 comments:

trash talk said...

David,
I've always wondered how you get a gift for the man who has everything...you just gave me the answer. Respect and love never go out of style or the wrong size. I'm sure your dad is smiling from his seat in Heaven knowing he did his job. YOU are your daddy.
How blessed you were to have such a man chosen to guide you into adulthood in such a way and by being such a wonderful example of how to father. Not every man has that gift...lucky you...yours did and now your children are reaping those same rewards.
Debbie

Mindy said...

David,

The pride that your father must have had in seeing you as a father! He raised you in the fields of hunting where you learned ethics and discipline. He sat and prayed with you in the pew, teaching you honor and faith. He showed you how to love by example. He, without a doubt, loved you, your mother and his family. He was a family man. He afforded you with the best education, while he maintained a business you were to later be a large part of. The values he instilled are present today. He loved your kids, by all accounts and by all pictures, he beamed in their presence.

And in turn, your children have had the benefit of having you as a father. You, the boy who became a man. Your father's son. You. A man of values, ethics, morals, strength and self-discipline. You have a love and respect for life and a quiet presence that causes one to pause and pay attention to what David has to say.

While there is sorrow that I did not meet Raymond here, face to face, I celebrate knowing his son. I celebrate knowing Dustin and Alissa's father. I celebrate you.

Happy Father's Day, David.

I love you. ~Mindy

Anonymous said...

That was so touching! It brought tears to my eyes. Your dad must have felt so proud and blessed when you gave him that card. He's doubly blessed to have a son that actually is following in his footsteps.

This was a beautiful tribute to your father.
-FringeGirl

summersundays-jw said...

What a great tribute to your Dad and how different life is for a child when they have a good Dad to help guide them. How lucky too to have had a Dad who lived his faith and passed that on to you. I think you live up to that famous quote "You're a good man Charlie Brown". It's a little late but with sincerety I wish you a Happy Father's Day every day of your life. Jan

Ragamuffin Gal said...

David,
What a great dad your father was ~ can see it in his eyes and the words you chose for him. How blessed you both were ~ thanks for sharing this beautiful and touching FD tribute. Blessings, Kt