Happy Father's Day

Today we honor the great men in our lives.  The ones who go by the title, not of "hero" or "general" or whatever grandiose titles people covet.  But I think that the best, hardest-earned, most precious title in the world is "Daddy".

I have been so incredibly blessed to have two great men in my life.

The one I have known longest is the one my siblings and I still call "Daddy."  He taught me what virtues men are capable of and taught me how to spot the good ones.  He taught me a lot of other things, too.  He taught me there was more to life than being pretty, that I could do anything and that I was infinitely valuable.  These lessons and so many more are the legacy I got from my Daddy, who raised and is still raising strong, independent, smart kids.

The man I know best is the one my kids call Daddy.  I thank God for him every day.  We have been through a lot together, both the "better" and the "worse" we promised almost seven years ago.  Through all this time we have grown together and also had some growing up to do (especially me).  Today, he is a man I am proud and grateful to share children with. He teaches them kindness and patience, love and joy, honesty and diligence.  We lean on his strength and he shelters us.  He is gentle and strong and the love he has for his family is beautiful and deep-rooted. Some of my favorite memories are his lullabies to our babies, hearing him read aloud to our kids, seeing him working in the yard with the little ones and playing with them.  He calms and distracts them when they are distressed and laughs with them when they are happy.  He is a wonderful husband and father.

Happy Father's Day to my two favorite men.  Thank you for all you do.