My Dad

The man in this picture is a man of integrity...a man with a love for the Lord...a man of unconditional love...a man of loyalty....a man of hard work....a man of dedication....a man with a sense of humor...a man with a generous spirit....a man of patience...a man of quiet stubbornness....a man who loves to have a good time with family and friends....a man who is happy to help....a man who has a mischieveous twinkle in his eye....a man who is steadfast...a man who loves to teach and lead others...a family man....the maker of pancakes....the loose tooth puller....the bedtime story reader (he even does special voices)...the bike riding teacher and later .the teenage driving instructor (sorry for being a slow learner, Dad)...the Dad/Poppy/Popper/Pop who will rough house and wrestle with you (and sometimes get both or all of you into trouble)...the comforter of skinned knees and broken hearts....the one who reads National Geographic, watches the Discovery Channel and the History Channel and passed the love of those things onto me....the sports watcher....the man who loves "The Dirty Dozen" and "Kelly's Heroes" no matter how many times he sees those....the man who loves leading others in Bible study and teaching Sunday School....the man who loves being on the golf course or studying family history and genealogy....the man who loves a good joke and a corny one...the man you want on your Trivial Pursuit team....the man who will give you advice when asked, but never force it on you...the man whom I am blessed to call "Dad".  I love you, Dad!

Joy Comes In The Morning

The girls and I just arrived home from a wonderful week at Miramar Beach in Destin. This was a week with extended family, to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary later this year.  Instead of the traditional reception, they really wanted a week of family togetherness, with their 3 kids and families.  So those of us who could make it, hit the road to Florida.

I fully intended to blog daily while I was there, but we our cell phone reception and internet reception was spotty at best.  I can honestly say, that although I didn't like parts of being "unplugged" from the world, I found myself not missing it nearly as much as I thought I would have.

I would usually find myself downstairs by 7:30 or so each morning, and would take my cup of coffee to the deck and just sit....mesmerized by the sights and sounds of God's creation.  There is something so soothing about being on the beach, especially in the early hours or evening hours, when the crowds are sparse.


I found myself unplugging not just from the laptop and cellphone, but from my fears, wounds, worries and problems.  I found myself plugging into the simplicity of sitting on the deck, or down on the beach, and allowing myself to just "be still".

In addition to the fun and craziness of being with my family, I needed the respite from the worries and stresses that often keep me awake at night.  I needed a week where I could feel the embrace of familial love and healing.  God has brought me so far on the healing journey after my divorce.  There have been so many days when I just didn't know how to put one foot in front of the other.  But God's healing and grace, along with the support of love of my family and friends, and the counsel of some very wise and godly people have helped me along.

As I would sit and drink my coffee while watching the waves, I can honestly say that I can testify to God's promise in Psalms that "weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." There are still wounds, therefore still healing to be done.  But God has brought me to the place where I can feel the morning....the return of joy.