For all its flaws, Facebook is still really good at doing what it was designed to do – connect people within a community.
This past weekend as we celebrated Father’s Day, I saw this noble aspiration operating at its best as my friends and family shared precious photos and memories of their fathers – some still here to bask in the praise and others only existing as a beloved memory. I feel a special sense of joy seeing photos of my family and friends as children with their dads and hearing the sweet stories of how their daddy’s love influenced their lives. And I’m always delighted to see the people I care about heaping love and affirmation on the father of their children, grandchildren, and on the others who’ve stepped up to claim and fulfill what is perhaps one of the greatest challenges of life – loving a human being into maturity. It’s all so sweet, and for me at least, a touch bittersweet.
I was a daddy’s girl. When Dad was home from work, I would follow him around like a puppy, whether he was fixing the car, working in the yard or heading out for a fishing trip. Although I never really fished, I was his fishin’ buddy. I remember getting up at 4 a.m. with him and heading for a local truck stop to enjoy a big breakfast before hitting the lake. Sometimes we’d fish from the shore and other times we’d bring his prized jon boat. Even as a child, I loved the peace and quiet of the early morning on the water.
But that sweet life didn’t last.
When I was just 11-years-old, Dad had a heart attack while driving home from work. He lost control of his car, hit another head on and died.
So, Father’s Day is hard for me.
But the reality is, even though I lost my earthly father on that terrible day, I still had a Father, and oh boy, what a daddy He is.
You know who I’m talking about – my Heavenly Father, God.
Even as a child, I had a sense of God’s presence in my life. His love, comfort, protection and guidance have been the constants that have gotten me through some really difficult struggles and disappointments, and for that, I will be eternally grateful. So while I remember my earthly dad with love and longing on Father’s Day, I also remember that yes, I’m still a Daddy’s girl.
". . . I have written your name on the palms of my hands." ~ Isaiah 49:16, NLT