The Fathers in Our Lives

Often times it's the mother's in our lives who get all the praise. They certainly deserve the recognition as they nurture, cultivate and tend to all of our needs, but all too often the fathers in our lives are in the background providing for their family both physically and spiritually; and doing such unpraiseworthy work as fishing tweezers out of the toilet that you drop, killing all the bugs, fixing the unfixable, carrying all of the heavy stuff, laughing at bodily functions that most moms find disgusting and all kids find hilarious, and the list goes on…

My calling at church is to prepare the sacrament programs. When preparing the Mother’s Day sacrament program I searched the LDS.org website for a quote from a general authority about motherhood. My search resulted in hundreds of articles and an abundance of quotes to choose from. However, while preparing the sacrament program for Father’s Day I did the same search on LDS.org and came up with only a handful of articles. Regardless, I think we (at least I know I do) sometimes take for granted the Fathers in our lives.

Patrick is a first-time father this year, but you would never know it. He has come by it so naturally, and I think it’s because he has never second-guessed his role as a father. I would have to say that Patrick is more involved than most fathers, and I truly appreciate that. He has gone beyond my expectations of fatherhood, and I know that because of this he and Gabriel have a special bond. I knew I loved my husband before we had Gabriel, but to see him as a father allows me to love a whole new side to him.

Finally, I would like to mention my own father. Many of you know that he is not my biological father, but he has been more of a father to me than any blood-lines could bring. My dad likes to have a good laugh and he certainly keeps things light-hearted, but you can always count on him for sound advice. I think my Dad is probably one of the most generous people I know, and most days he may be a wise-crack, but when it really counts he has a big soft spot. I’m so thankful for the father he has been to us and the wonderful husband he has been to my mom.

Life just wouldn’t be the same without the fathers in our lives.