This past Sunday, we celebrated Father's Day. I read a post by Ann Voskamp in which she was telling the story of a man who was seeking his father's approval and blessing, and his father felt unable to give that because he had never received that from his own father. Ann made the comment that "You can't deeply love your parents until you grieve the deep wounds of their life." Now, I'm not sure that I completely agree with this statement, however, I understand what she is saying, and it made me ponder my own father's life.
My father was just four years old in April of 1945 when Granny received the dreaded telegram informing her that her husband was among those soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice, and just a few weeks before the end of WWII. As my father grew up, my Granny dated a fellow who was the closest thing to a father figure that Dad ever had, and it was not a pleasant experience. In spite of never having the example of a loving father in his own life, my Dad never let a day go by without letting me and my siblings know in word and in deed that we were deeply loved, and that our mother was well-loved also. He has always been a living example to us all of how to love your family.
Another influential person in my life shared a tribute to her father and to her husband in which she wrote: "I was blessed by my dad's love in my life and by his example...so much so that I chose a man cut from the same cloth. He is the most successful man that I know...mainly because he has made his wife happy all of her life with him and has loved and enjoyed being a father to his daughters." This really struck me, as I see similarities in my life. My father has influenced my life to the extent that I found a husband who is very much like him, and I am so grateful to be able to say that, and to say that my husband has made me happy and that he has loved his children as well.
0 comments:
Post a Comment