Love For Dads (Happy birthday Dad!)

Tony and I attend a "Marriage and Family Relations" class for Sunday school at our ward.  It's been a really good class and so far we have loved all the material they've taught.  Just recently they've been focusing on parental roles, and yesterday the lesson was about "The Sacred Role of Fathers."

As we studied that topic, I mostly thought about Tony and what kind of dad he will be to our future children.  I've probably said this a million times (and thought it even more), but I know Tony will be the best dad I could ever hope for my children.  He is such a humble, sincere, loving, kind, unselfish person, and he always stands up for what he knows is right.  I am so grateful to know that he will be the father and male role-model in our home and family.  I feel so comforted and secure with him, and I love him so much.  I adore him.  I know our kids will love and adore him as much as I do.  And they will know what's right because he will teach them the truth.

The topic also got me to thinking about my own dad (whose birthday happens to be today!).  One of the "Ideas for application" in the manual yesterday was to "Write a letter to your father or to a grandfather."  I feel like writing a letter to him would be a little too personal to post on the blog, but I do want to say how grateful I am for my dad.  I have always been a "Daddy's Girl" and for good reason.  My dad is one of the nicest, most humble, loving people you could ever meet.  He loves the gospel and Heavenly Father and you can see that in his actions.  He has taught me to be strong in so many ways.  He (and my mom) always encouraged me and told me I was the best (and I believed them).  My dad is always willing to help out, even when he could be justified in taking a break.  He always tries to take the higher ground and do what Christ would do.  Also, I love my dad's sense of humor.  He makes me laugh so much.  Tony says that my dad and I always know what the other one is going to say (in jokes) because we have the same stupid humor.  I take that as a compliment (thanks Tony).  I love that I can call my dad a thousand times and every time he'll answer the phone saying, "Joe's Bar & Grill..."  It's not even funny anymore (wait, I don't know if it ever was funny), but the fact that he's saying it (again) makes it funny.

But what I am most grateful for in my dad is that he led me to Tony.  Not that he physically led me to him, but that his qualities led me to recognize the goodness in Tony.  I always worried, growing up, that I would never be able to find a man who could be as good of a father to my children as my dad was to me.  But now I know that's not true.  When I met Tony in the student ward, I immediately recognized that there was something special about him and that he would be the kind of husband and father that I wanted for my family.  I know I was able to recognize his goodness because it was something familiar to me; it was the same goodness my dad had always brought to our home and family.  I know Tony will be the kind of father to our children that my dad was to me and my siblings.  And I am so grateful for that!  I am so thankful to my dad for teaching me what qualities are most important in husbands and fathers.  I know that I am very blessed to have such honorable men in my life.  I am thankful that Heavenly Father has blessed me with so much!

PS - Happy birthday Daddy-waddy!  I love you!