Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all you guys out there, even those who aren't dads yet. The world needs good men and you are they. or them. whatever.

My husband is one of the most deeply flawed and maddening men on the planet, but he's a good man and he is the strength of our family. He kills the spiders and shoos the bees out of the house, pumps the bike tires, goes over to help Sarah with her plumbing, and gives blessings to our children who are inactive, smoke and drink, and do not believe in religion.

But they get a hangnail and over goes old Dad with his bottle of oil. Not really, they wait till it goes gangrenous.

I, too, rely on him immensely. His steadiness and commitment. He will be ready to kill me for smarting off, but he will still come and change my tire when I get a flat at the grocery store.

From my office, as I sit at the desk typing here, I can see to his chair at the kitchen table. I'll call him in from yard work to eat lunch, then go back to my computer. He'll come in, wash up, sit at the table, and bow his head to silently bless his food. I stop and bow with him. I've never seen him eat without blessing his food. I don't know, maybe he does it in his head at Golden Corral.

He took two days off work last week to spend time with Maxwell, our little grandson. He took him fishing at Otter Creek. Bill would make sure he had one hooked and hand Max the pole and that little boy would get so excited, catching his fish. On the way home, Maxwell asked, "Grandpa, when you get old, will you give me this boat?"

Last month he took two days off so he could chaperone our grandson, Alex's school trip to Zion.

He's a good dad, a good husband, and a good grandpa. I never love him more than when I see him tenderly holding the baby, looking at her with wonder.

And like I said, he's tremendously flawed and maddening and all that. So guys, take hope, God was once a man.