Happy Father's Day, Dude.

I had a wonderful evening at Rock the Garden last night and while I was lying down to sleep I found Fresh Prince of Bel Air on TBS. Watch this 3-minute clip from the episode I watched and you won't be surprised that my pillow was filled with tears as I slept.

Today is Father's Day and at this point in my life, with the job that I have and the neighborhood I'm living in, I can't help but feel purely blessed that I get to have the love of both a mother and a father.
My father loves me and wanted me [as he did with all his children].

He was there when I first learned to tie my shoes, ride my bike and drive a car. He took hours of actionless video in my first days in the world. He taught me how to pitch a softball and penciled out x's and o's so I could better understand defense on the football field. He showed me how to weed a garden and snap beans. He carried me into the house when I fell asleep on the car ride home. He taught me how to hang sheetrock, change a tire and mow the lawn. He attempted to teach me how to drive with a clutch and didn't freak out when I ruined the alignment on his car or ran out of gas on the interstate in the middle of Nebraska. He passed on his love for baseball and sunflower seeds. He baptized me with water into the Church and as we watched a Rockies game in 95 degree weather. He reads my blog religiously and helped me study for theology tests and with my math homework.

He helps me move into each new stage of my life physically, mentally and spiritually, and leaves me with a great big hug and confidence in the independence he and my mother have given me. He taught me about our Creator and showed me what a good sermon sounds like. He taught me the importance of justice, peace and service to others. He prays for me, he is proud of me, and most of all, he tells me so.

I am blessed to have such an amazing dad in my life, but I realize today that there are many in this world who must live without [the majority of the children I see each day, in fact]. And so, as I know my father does daily, I pray for those who who have lost or never known their father, that they would have that same support through other relationships in their life, especially from those of us lucky enough to have a dad in our life.

And as for me, I will be forever thankful that I have the love of both a mother and a father.

Happy Father's Day, Dude.