The Dads in My Life

Happy Father's Day Dad!
Happy Father's Day Mark!

You are two of the best Dads ever and Emma and I are so blessed to have you in our lives.

To all my blog readers, I hope you are able to enjoy a day with the Dads in your life, or if not, that you have happy memories to share with the ones you love. I know for some, their relationship with their Father in this life is difficult or has been troubled, but I pray that you know our Heavenly Father who loves you and cares for you even when our earthly ones do not. The love of God our Father is greater than any hurt or pain you've experienced and can heal any wound if you only let Him. I promise to pray for you today my friend.

I am fortunate to have a wonderful husband who is just the most amazing Father to our daughter Emma. When she was a newborn, I was brought to tears one day when I saw Mark changing her diaper. I quickly told him that I'd be happy to take care of that, but he turned to me and said "I don't ever want Emma to think that I didn't care enough about her to take care of her when she needs me." And 12 years later , he still is taking care of her, and me for that matter. He is truly an extraordinary man.
I found a few of my favorite photos of the two of them to share with you today. One thing you may notice is that we always have fun together as a family, we are so fortunate to have lots of joy and laughter in our home and Mark's wacky sense of humor is often the catalyst for our laughter!

Here he is dancing with Emma at a friend's wedding several years ago.

They made the most beautiful couple!

Outside the Carnegie Deli on Seventh Ave. in NYC.
Yes, their cheesecake is really the most fabulous on earth!

You can see we've just enjoyed a piece!

Here they are clowning around at the Kittery Trading Post in Kittery, Maine.
It was August, but really, don't you always need a good winter hat?

From the coast of Maine to the coast of North Carolina, here they are on the beach at Pine Knoll Shores.
Hang loose!

Mark and Emma love to spend time together in the kitchen. He is a wonderful cook and is patiently teaching her the basics. This was at the beach house that year and they were making homemade Salsa. It was a particularly fragrant batch if I remember correctly. We had to go outside for awhile........

I wish I had some photos of me and my Dad loaded onto this computer so I could show you all the fun things we used to do together when I was little. He taught me to fish, and how to roast a marshmallow to just the right consistency to slide perfectly off the stick we'd whittled onto the graham cracker and Hershey bar. He taught me that football was not just for the boys, and I enjoyed many Sunday afternoons curled up in the afghan on the couch watching our beloved Redskins. He also taught me the value of hard work, determination, and kindness along the way. He taught me that with a solid days work and a clear conscious, you could really sleep well at night. He also taught me that love conquers all, as I never saw a day go by without him telling me and my Mother that he loved us, even when times were tough or I wasn't being very lovable.

My Dad has apologized to me in the past for being what he said was "not a very good Dad", but what he really needs to know is that his guidance and love were the voice in my head at times I truly needed a helping hand or great advice. My Dad is a good man, not perfect - who is, but he did his best to take care of me and my Mom and taught me solid values along the way. I am partially a product of his expectations for me and I'm grateful for them and for him.
I am especially grateful that in spite of his terrible illness this past year and all the hospitalizations, I still get to spend another Father's Day with him, reminding him of how much he is loved and cherished.

There is an older country song by a gal named Holly Dunn that sums up pretty well how I feel about my Dad. I was able to find a video of it on You Tube and I'm sharing it with you here today.

Blessings to you all - have a wonderful day!
~~Robin