In Praise of My Father

I really love my Dad. And I wanted to take a moment to thank my Dad and tell him how much I thank God for him being my dad. There are SO many reasons why I feel that way.
First, I had a wonderful childhood. We lived in a house in the country with a huge front yard, side yards and a massive backyard that led down to the banks of the Kankakee River (we had a big yard in Joliet too as I remember it). The house was a large ranch style house with big country kitchen, formal dining room, big living room with large windows looking out over the yard and fields, a cool fire place and hearth and lots of room to play. When our family expanded my dad converted our garage into a large bedroom for my brother and me. It was a great room! We played and played and played during those long winter months in Illinois. We had bikes, a go-kart to ride, a boat to use, a large tree house to play in and acres and acres of fields and river shoreline to roam and explore with our BB guns or motorcycles. We almost always had a dog and had lots of BBQs and friends and relatives over in the summer. At night we caught fireflies, and in the winter we tunneled in the snow.
Our family was stable. Mom stayed home and made our days full of wonder. She was the glue that held us all together.
When we moved to California, Dad again provided a good place to live with a big backyard, a pool (most of the time), and even managed to provide a car for us to drive as we each turned 16. Life living in town was different but it was still good. And we learned how to be a part of a church family for the first time. That enriched us more than anyone can count.
Secondly, I thank my Dad because in order to make all of this happen, my Dad worked very hard. Sometimes it wasn't easy to make ends meet I think. So he took weekend work in the big 2 1/2 car garage he built just for that purpose (I think). He always had his eye out for a way to make a little more money. And it worked. We always had plenty of good food to eat, we always had clean clothes to wear and enjoyed thrilling Christmases. There were so many things we did as a family that I can remember. Dad provided for it all. As a man and a father now, I think I know a little more about what that cost him personally. So let me just say this Dad - it was worth it! You did it! You provided well for your family and we never truly lacked anything important.
Thirdly, my dad also served as a good example to us. He was honest, hard working, selfless and faithful. He liked to laugh and he liked to dream and plan fantastic adventures for the future. He and mom both loved to tell stories and I think all of us kids are great story tellers as a result. He taught us how to build a fire, cut wood, fish, hunt, change a tire and the oil in a car, fix a flat on a bike, build a doghouse, work on a motorcycle...well, since my Dad was a wiz at fixing things I can't even begin to remember all those life lessons right now. But he made it look so easy!
So I want to formally and officially thank you Dad. Thank you for being faithful and true. Thank you for providing for us all those years. Thank you for how you continue to support and encourage us. Thank you for being my Dad!