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Saturday, June 18, 2011

What A Father Looks Like to Me

Dad with his mom

I want to put into words what a "father" looks like, to me.  To do that I have to tell you a  little bit about my dad.  He was raised in Ohio by my hardworking grandparents.  They owned a night club and their home was just a short walk away from there.  For that reason, my grandparents enrolled him in military school, from kindergarten through high school graduation.  They didn't want him to be around the atmosphere of the club and they worked until the wee hours of the morning, went home for a couple hours rest and were right back at work again.  So they sent him to Linsley Military Academy to live.

Dad with his dad
Dad learned to be very disciplined at the military academy and as a teenager, he worked very hard when he was home from school.  My grandparents were strict but so proud of him.  He was an only child so he was very well taken care of.  Everyone calls my dad "Chuck", but his parents called him"little Charlie" until they day they died.

My parents wedding
Then came the day that Dad met Mom at Ohio State University.  Their love story was fierce and passionate.  Everyone who ever knew them marvelled at how they worked together as a couple to have a wonderful marriage.  They counselled many young couples over the years on how to do the necessary work to make a relationship last without growing distant and far apart.  My parents always tried to outdo each other, putting the other one first.  I've never seen two people with more admiration, respect and love for one another.  My father put a plaque on the wall in our kitchen which read "The best gift a father can give to his children is to love their mother."  He gave me that gift over and over as he continued to show his love for my mom.

Me with my dad
Me on the left with my sisters & brother
                                                                           I was their first born child, with three others that came after me.  My dad worked so hard.  I remember him coming home from work, eating dinner, giving me my bath and going back to work.  But he never made us feel neglected or unnoticed.  When he would come home for dinner, my mom would be waiting in the kitchen for him with a martini.  They would stand at the sink and talk and laugh and kiss.  As children, we had to wait for them to have their time before we could all sit down at the table together and eat.

Because Dad was raised at a military institute, he tended to have a home that was run very tight and disciplined.  I remember a couple of his rules very well.  1.  "If I say jump you ask how high" and 2.  "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all!"  Oh, and I remember that he always said, "No one ever said life was fair."  After he came to know the Lord and became a Christian, whenever we would disobey, he would look up a Scripture that applied to what we had done.  He would explain why we were "in trouble" and then we would get our spanking.  He would then sit us on his lap, pray with us and tell us that he loved us...and it was done, in the past and not dwelled upon.

From his lap!
To this day, I base my relationship with my heavenly Father on my relationship with my earthly father.  He (my earthly father) is always there for me, he's always honest with me, he gives correction and teaching when he feels necessary, but I can always get on his lap and get lots of love from him!

To me, a father is direction and guidance, love and wisdom with lots of laughs.  He makes sure that I feel safe and secure, that I can always go to him and he will never turn me away.  I love my dad more than I can put into words and I hope he knows that his Godly influence in my life has helped to mold me into the person who I am today!

I love you, Dad!  Happy Father's Day!

From His lap & his lap,

28 comments:

  1. God † bless U & your Dad. ♥ Happy Father's Day

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  2. That was beautiful. BEAUTIFUL.Tears. Not many have dads that are fathers. If I had, I would only have hoped he was just like Urs. Sally

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  3. Love to you, Erin.
    Gia

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  4. Great story, Erin! Susan

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  5. Nice "Fathers Day" blog Erin! Very touching!
    :-()
    Jerree

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  6. Thank You so much for sharing your love of your Dad! :) loved seeing the warm hearted pictures and feeling from your heart, that you put into words. Brought Happy Tears!!!!! What a Joy and a Blessing to read this :) Thanks again for sharing:)
    Harry

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  7. That is one of the sweetest dad stories I've ever heard, and I'm totally inspired by it.! One day when I have children, I hope to raise them in a similar fashion, taking cues fro your dad and his relationship with Yahushua! Thanks for sharing and Happy Fathers Day to your pop!

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  8. I'm so glad I could share with you all a glimpse of my dad! He is so amazing and an example of what at father should be to so many! Giacomo, I KNOW that one day you will be a wonderful father!!!!
    ~Erin

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  9. Great post. My dad passed away in 1996, but he also was a great dad. It's sad that there are a lot of men who don't understand what it really means to be a dad.

    Thanks for visiting my blog. Following from VoiceBoks!

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  10. Wow – what a blessing to be raised by a father like this. Didn’t know about the military upbringing. You are so blessed and so was your mom!

    PS – when I read the part about your mom waiting in the kitchen for him with a martini I had to laugh! It reminds me of Bewitched when Samantha would always greet Darren with a Scotch! Did times like this ever really exist!?

    Dianne

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  11. It's obvious that you respect and love your "fathers" deeply in this post and in your work. Thank you for sharing your blessings with us all.

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  12. Wonderful post! Thanks for sharing!!!!

    Thanks for stopping by Always Just A Mom and leaving a comment! I'm a new follower to you too!!!

    Don't you just love voiceBoks!
    Have a great week!
    Steph

    www.alwaysjustamom.blogspot.com

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  13. So beautiful! You are a gorgeous writer!

    Stopping by from voiceBoks!
    Make sure to enter our giveaway http://bit.ly/jW5n0E

    - Brandii @ babyshopaholics.com

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  14. Erin,
    Your an amazing writer..You pulled us in and we felt every emotion! You are so blessed... Thank you so much for sharing your Father with us!
    Take care,
    Lisa

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  15. Aren't those old pictures just amazing! I just love old pictures! What a great post!

    http://fivefeetoffun.blogspot.com

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  16. I'd never heard that saying on the plaque, but that just put tears in my eyes. That's awesome and I think the same could be said the other way. I really enjoyed reading this post. Thanks for stopping by from Voiceboks.

    http://confessionsofafrugalmind.blogspot.com/

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  17. Hi! I found you through Voiceboks and am glad I did :) I hope you'll come visit me and follow me back at http://healthykidshappykids.blogspot.com and/or http://mommychosis.blogspot.com

    Thanks and have a great day!

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  18. Erin you are blessed to have such a wonderful relationship with your dad. My personal story is quite the opposite, but I am so glad that my children are fortunate to share your story. My husband is an incredible father, and like yours, deserves to be honored every day. I hope that you had an awesome Father's Day celebration.

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  19. That is a very beautiful description of a father. I love how he used Scripture in his discipline! I try to do that, too, and my husband is especially strong in this area. I think it gives the point you are trying to make a lot more backing, plus it's good for us to keep Scripture as a check and balance system! Kudos to all the amazing fathers out there!

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  20. He is a great man, Ang, and I'm blessed to have him for a father. It sounds like your husband is a wonderful father too!
    Blessings,
    Erin

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  21. What a great post honering your Dad

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Pamela. He is truly an amazing father!
      ~Erin

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  22. I love how you said "He would then sit us on his lap, pray with us and tell us that he loved us...and it was done, in the past and not dwelled upon." I needed the reminder to not dwell on the past.

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    1. Audra, he was so good about that. I didn't realize how hard that is to do until I became a parent. Thanks so much for stopping by!
      Blessings,
      ~Erin

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  23. We also had rule # 1 - I say JUMP you say how High! And we were raised continents apart :)
    What a wonderful letter to your dad - and I love how much he adores your mother.
    Leigh
    www.oneandoneequalstwinfun.com

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    1. Leigh, that rule really taught me to think about what I say before I say it. To this day, I pause and think about how my words will effect the hearer of them!
      Blessings,
      ~Erin

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  24. Oh Sweet Erin, your post spoke so gently to my spirit. You are so blessed to have such a man as your father. I was also blessed with a good man as a father. I know there are lots of women who didn't grow up having a loving earthly father, but I also know that all of us have a gentle and loving Heavenly Father; one we can go to and he will take care of us.

    Thank you for sharing this special man with us.

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    Replies
    1. Becky, I know that some don't have Godly and good fathers. It's such a comfort to know that there is a Heavenly Father who loves us like no other. You are such a blessing! Thank you for stopping by!
      ~Erin

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Thank you for giving us a little nugget of truth from your heart!

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