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Saturday, August 27, 2011

My Dad, The Kitchen Table and Love

My dad is visiting us this week.  We sit together in the mornings with our coffee, just us two, and he tells me stories and reads to me from his well worn Bible.  His eyes are still that clear piercing blue that I love so much.  There's no dullness there.  They are as sharp as I remember as a child.  I notice his arms, tanned and smooth.  His voice is strong and unwavering as he tells me that we should be pressing into the things of God.  "Are you doing what you love, honey?"  "Are you serving God in all you do?"  "Are you telling people about the love of Jesus?"  He asks me these and so many more questions.  His passion for sharing the Gospel is stronger than ever and all consuming with him now.

I could sit there all day and listen to him recount the stories of our past, stories of the love from which my siblings and I came, telling me to always be aware of God's presence.  As I sit and listen, I feel like a little girl again, wondering how my daddy could be so smart, how can he know so much about God.  It's times like these that I will treasure in my heart forever.  I will look back on these moments at the kitchen table, early in the morning, over a cup of coffee...where I was daddy's little girl again for a few short hours.

But then we snap back to the busy day.  My sister, brother and I, run him to all the grandkid's sporting events that he misses when he's back home.  We have meals all together and laugh and laugh and laugh.  I watch my dad's eyes, darting from grown child to grown child, from grandchild to grandchild, noticing everything, everyone.  I pray I have made him proud.  I pray he sees the life of God in me.  He and my mom spent their lives pouring His love, knowledge and wisdom into us and I hope Dad can see the fruit of their labor when he looks at me.

If my Heavenly Father is anything like my earthly father, I will run to Him with joy when it's my time to meet Him!  I love you, Dad.  You are my hero.

From His Lap,



33 comments:

  1. Erin this was beautiful I truly enjoyed reading how precious your Dad makes you feel and vis versa. Fathers are the world to little girls that are now big girls. God is such a good Father to us all.

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  2. Oh Erin... I'm in a puddle of tears! Thank-you for sharing such a precious moment with your dad. I lost my father last fall and I can tell we had the same kind of relationship you have with your father. I've written many a post about times spent with dad... I recently visited the home town where he grew up in northern Minnesota (what a gift!) This is a special post and I'd like to share it with you:

    http://www.meyouandcreamedcorn.com/2011/07/in-eye-of-storm-god-brings-peace.html

    Relish in every moment my friend!!

    Blessings,

    Marisa

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  3. Aw, thank you so much Pam! My dad truly does make me feel precious! I love him so! Thank you so much for stopping by.
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

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  4. Marisa,
    Oh, I'm so sorry about the loss of your father. My mother left this life in 2004 and the loss still cuts me like a knife. I'm so glad you stopped by. I hope my post blessed you and didn't make you sad. I tried to follow the link you gave for your post, but it said "page not found". I'll try again!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

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  5. Erin, your are so blessed to have faithful parents...they are so blessed to have a faithful daughter. There is no greater joy for a parent then to know our children walk in righteousness.

    Your post is beautiful! Thank you for giving us a little insight into your love for your Dad.

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  6. Thank you so much, Becky Jane! You are right. A parent's heart is complete when they know that their children walk in righteousness!
    Love you, sister!
    ~Erin

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  7. I always hope my comments "make" it. I will email to you too just in case. I tried to log in but can't unless I create a blog which I am not wanting to take the time to do right now.

    You are an amazing and talented writer. I mean really. I think you found your giftedness. You need to write a book. You are just that good. When you right I can "see" everything you are talking about and I "feel" everything in your heart.

    I love, love this post about your dad. It truly brought tears to my eyes. Amazing. What an incredible father. Such a legacy. You are fortunate and blessed. Not everyone, in fact hardly anyone has a story like yours. Savor ever part of it. And greater yet it is YOUR responsibility to pass this on to YOUR children so that they too might have the benefit of being loved by a man who hears the heartbeat of God.

    Inspiring! Love you! Dianne

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  8. PS - my comment made it!!!!!!! Yeah! Dianne

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  9. OK, I'm in a puddle too! :) What a sweet story about your time with Dad, so precious!
    You are blessed!

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  10. Oh, dear! Puddles over here, too! How precious are your descriptions of your father. My heart aches. I wish my dad was here (he died 15 years ago) to see his kids as they are now, the baby grands, and the grand baby grands! Off to get a tissue. My nose is running!

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  11. Absolutely precious, Erin!
    Susan

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  12. Dianne,
    Yea, your comments made it!!! You don't have to have a blog to leave a comment. Thank you for such kind words! My dad has blessed many people and it is his life's mission for everyone to come to the knowledge of Christ!
    I love you, Dianne!!
    ~Erin

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  13. Kristin,
    Thank you so much for stopping by. I just can't tell you how precious every moment I spend with my dad is!!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

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  14. Oh, Lynn, I'm so sorry that your dad is not here, but his impact on you is felt by your kids and grandkids! I miss my mom, everday day of my life...but I see her in my children!
    You are such a blessing to me!
    ~Erin

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  15. Susan,
    I'm so glad you love my dad!
    I love you!
    ~Erin

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  16. Hi Erin - this is such a lovely post. I love my dad too, but he is no where near Christ, not interested at all. I can only continue to pray. Its great that you can relate so much better with your heavenly father because of your great relationship with your earthly father.
    God bless
    Tracy

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  17. It seems you have two great Fathers, Erin. One gave you a gift. The gift of writing from your heart.To evoke such emotions in others from the words you write is a blessing and one which other writers never realise.

    Your other Father, of course, has allowed you to nurture your God given gift.He can't fail to see it shine from your very core.

    You're a blessing to them both and to us all.

    Lx

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  18. Tracy,
    Be faithful in your prayers. You may not be the one to lead your dad to the Lord, but your prayers may open the way for someone else to be able to do it! I will pray for your dad too!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

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  19. Lorrain,
    You just don't know how much I love you and am encouraged by your sweet spirit. Thanks so much for stopping by and your kinds words!!!
    XOXO,
    ~Erin

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  20. What a beautiful blog! You sound like a really genuine and wonderful person. Found your blog from VB.

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  21. Thanks for posting that; very sweet. My earthly father is not one to look up to, unfortunately. I have to look past him to see the glory of my Heavenly Father. It's nice to know that there are dads out there leading their children, even in adulthood, toward Jesus.

    Found you through the vB GFC hop

    Jenny
    Full Cart Full Wallet

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  22. Marja,
    Thanks so much for stopping by! I'm so enjoyed my post!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

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  23. Jenny,
    Just keep praying for him. God is faithful and your prayers may plant seeds for someone else to water!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

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  24. Michael Ann,
    Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words. Don't you just love voiceBoks!!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

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  25. Hi, I'm passing by and following you via the GFC Blog Hop on VoiceBoks. I would love to add you to my blog followers too. http://toughcookiemommy.com

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  26. Thanks so much for stopping by, Cookie Mommy! I hope my post blessed you! I'll go ck out your blog! Don't you just love voiceBoks?!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

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  27. Ohhhh how sweet!!!
    My dad and I weren't close growing up, not until the past few years really.
    Since turning 70, and finding a life-giving, Bible preaching, Jesus loving church, he has completely transformed. He just got back from his third missions trip (the first was at age 72). He calls us often, just because something reminded him of us (we used to go months without talking). The love of Jesus in his heart shines through and I love it!!!!

    I am truly thankful I get to experience this time with my dad this side of heaven! It's never too late :D

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  28. Karen,
    What a blessing! I know your heart rejoices!! I can't believe your dad went on his first missions trip at the age of 72. That is so amazing! He sounds like he's full of the joy of the Lord. I'm so happy for you!!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

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  29. What a beautiful post honoring your beloved Father. Hugs!! a little VB♥ too
    P.S. I'm a puddle too

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  30. Katherine,
    Thanks for the voiceBoks love!
    I'm so honored that you stopped by and glad that my post blessed you!
    ~Erin

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  31. Erin, you are very blessed to have a relationship so special with your dad. Oh how I would love to spend precious moments like that with my dad. I just returned from vacation in CA where my daughters and I spent two weeks under the same roof with my dad. Our time was wonderful, but I didn't feel like I could fully be myself because my dad is not a believer. He believes in some greater being, but won't commit to anything beyond that statement and he has no idea how to relate with me on the subject of faith. So it's like a giant elephant in the room that we try not to pay attention to. It saddens my heart. Every day I pray for God to bring someone into his life that he'll listen to, so he'll eventually find a place for God in his heart and lifestyle. Cherish those sweet moments with your dad. :)

    Blessings,
    Rosann

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  32. Rosann,
    Your prayers are planting the seed and I promise, the Lord will bring someone by to water them!!! God is faithful and your dad will know Him!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

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

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