Sunshine Blogger Award x 2

Well, howdy there!  Look who decided to drop by and fill out two tags that have been sitting around since...

 

....since WHEN??!! 

 

No way!  I was tagged with these back in APRIL AND MAY OF 2017??????  Guys!  Where HAS the time gone?  These tags are practically a year old already!!! 

 

*gulp* and *double gulp* 

 

How did this happen?   

 

"Close your mouth, Michael.  We are not a codfish."

 

Okay.  So I'm a procrastinator.  And not just any procrastinator, but a procrastinator of epic proportions.  I know it.  And now you know it.  Let's collect our scattered wits, pull ourselves out of our current stupor of disbelief, and try and move past it, shall we?

 

 

~Sunshine Blogger Award x 2~

 

 

I was tagged by both Mary and Jem Jones.  Each with their own set of questions.  So this may prove to be a rather lengthy post.  Just sayin'.  Oh and for the record, here's Mary's original post and Jem's original post, just so you know that I really was tagged for these.  And that yes, it really was almost a year ago.  (Why do you have to keep bringing that up?  You're embarrassing me.)

Thank you Jem and Mary for two delightful tags!  And my apologies for taking so long to fill them out!!

 

 

Mary's Questions:

1. Do you like to read an entire series at once or spread out the books over time?

Probably read it all at once, because when I'm in the mood for a particular series, I'm the mood for it.  Why spread it out?  :) 

2. Would you rather be stuck in the past or the future?

Oh my.  I guess I'll have to choose the past on this one as I have experience there and know what I'm getting myself into.  However, neither choice is very nice.  *pouts*  Because I doesn't want to be stuck in either of those places, thank you very much.  Stickiness is all very well in a...well in a deliciously sweet piece of chocolate fudge or something...but in life?  Neh.  Not so comfortable to be stucked. 

3. Have you ever had dream re-runs? (In other words, the same dream twice. XD)

I know I've felt as though I was having a dream re-run before, but I can never quite decide whether it really is one or not. 

I could swear, I've been here before. 
At least...I think I have.

4. What is your favorite vacation you've ever taken?

Oh, I don't know.  There's so many good ones.  Too many to choose from. 

5. Do you like to chew gum? If so, what is your favorite flavor?

I do like to chew gum, but I don't do it often enough to have any sort of opinion on flavors.  I think I don't like the bubble gum flavor as much as I used to though.  At any rate, that last piece of bubble gum I had lost it's flavor far too quickly.  It was really quite scandalous.  And I payed 25 cents to get it, too!  (It was a gumball.  A purple one.  From a gumball machine.  I got to put the coin in all myself and watch the gumball go spiraling down to the opening.  A childhood thrill, you know?  At the age of twenty-five.) 

Okay, so sometimes childhood thrills come later in life.  What of that?  (And childhood disappointments, too, apparently because...where's the flavor gone?  I've only had this thing in my mouth for like TWO minutes!!  LIFE IS SO NOT FAIR!)

"Thought you were going to get something tasty?
Mwahaha!  Jokes on you!"

 

6. If you found the entrance to Narnia, would you tell anybody? Who would you take with you if you did?

I would definitely tell my sixteen-year-old brother, and take him along with me.  He's the Narnia geek in our family.  Once he read the entire series seven times in the space of a year.  So yeah, leaving him out of such a discovery would be unthinkable!

7. Waffles, pancakes, or neither?

Is that the only choice for breakfast, or are there donuts hanging around somewhere for one lucky person?  Because to be honest, I never was a huge waffle or pancake person.  However, if it's a choice between that and eating nothing...

Just tell me there are donuts, and I'll go away happy.

8. Do you use the Shift key or the Caps Lock key every time you capitalize something? (Odd question, but it's something I always wonder, haha.)

The shift key.  All the time.  Unless I'm doing a whole string of capitals, then I'll use Caps Lock.  (Oh.  And another tidbit.  I never use the Shift key on the right side of the keyboard.  I only ever use the left-handed one.  Don't ask me why.   I've just always done it that way.)

9. What is one smell that never fails to make you happy?

The smell of a newborn baby!  Best smell in the world.

10. Have you ever been rollerskating?

Yes.  A few times.  Usually I choose rollerblades over rollerskates though.

11. You've gone into hiding and have to conceal your identity. What new alias would you adopt?

I have no idea.  Sorry, people.  I guess I'm just not creative enough today.


Jem Jones' Questions:
 

1. Is there a story that you've always wanted to write, but haven't yet?

Yeah, like all the stories my little brain has ever invented.  Take your pick.  Not one of them has made it much past the thinking stage as yet. 

2. What tv show/movie have you binge-watched the worst?

Oh goodness, I don't know.  I sort of binge-watch to the same degree for whichever show I'm currently into.  There's not one that stands out from the rest really.

3. You know those innocent little mistakes we make that are so. embarrassing. they keep you up at night. five years later. Those. Tell me about one of them? (I promise I won't tell.) (I might put it in a story though?)}

Oh, I never make embarrassing mistakes.  My goodness.  I'm far too in control of myself for that! 

 

Just kidding.  I know there have been some.  I just can't think of a particular one at the moment.

 

Sorry, Jem.  Guess I failed you for story material this time around.

 

4. What's your biggest NOTP?

NOTP?  What is that?  

 

Okay, I looked it up.  So, basically you're asking, which couple in a movie or book do I think should not be a couple?  Do I have that right?

 

Okay, so I don't know that this is my biggest NOTP, but with limited time to think about it I'm going to just go with Miss Lane and Gabriel Cochrane from Lark Rise to Candleford.  I think theirs is a rather lame relationship and I think Miss Lane could have done much better.  Not that I really care.  I mean, if she wants to go and marry a grump that's her problem.  All I'm saying is, if I'd been writing the script for that show...things would have been different.
 

5. Would you rather be attacked by one horse-sized duck or a hundred duck-sized horses? (seriously I want to know)

You get first prize for most creative question!  Wow.  This one is nuts!!  Really, Jem!  How in the world am I supposed to choose??  *shivers*  Both options sound extremely freaky.  A horse-sized duck could bite my head off...and a hundred duck-sized horses??  Okay, I'm going with a hundred duck-sized horses.  At least with that they're smaller than me...and they can't fly...and maybe I can kick them away or escape up a tree or just...scream for HEEEEEELP!!!

6. Is there a song you've been listening to on repeat?

Not within the past few days, but several weeks ago these were the two most popular for traveling to and from work.  Give 'em a listen if you have the time and tell me what you think.  I'm curious to know if any of the rest of you like this style of music, or if it really wouldn't be your thing.  (It's 50's music by the way.  Very fun, in my opinion.)

7. Who is the first person that pops into your head when you think "weird"?

Haha.  My oldest brother maybe?  He's definitely an odd one.  (In a good sort of way of course.)  Oh! and my sixteen-year-old brother, too!  Can't forget about him.  Very, very strange.  *concerned shake of the head*

8. What's your biggest pet peeve?

When someone tries to turn a book into a movie and DOES IT ALL WRONG!!  Also, bad acting in movies.  Bad script.  Cheesy lines.  You name it.  (I have this thing for critiquing movies.  Did you ever notice?)

9. Oxford comma or no?

Oxford comma, yes.

(Had to look that one up, too.  Man, but my
intelligence level is through the roof today.)

10. If you could pick a name for yourself, what would it be?

Hepsibah Magnolia Lajinski. 

 

Oh, come on now.  Don't you think that has a nice ring to it?

11. Why did you start a blog?

I thought it would be a fun outlet for my writing and I also very much wanted to make some friends and be a part of the little blogging community I had discovered.  Turned out rather well on the whole.  :)

Well that just about wraps this post up.  I hope you all enjoyed this and now I have just one question for you.

 Do you choose the horse-sized duck attack or the hundred duck-sized horses attack?  I must know.

 

Toodle-oo!

 

Things that make me happy

 

~Sharing amused and knowing looks with my siblings.

~Watching All Creatures Great and Small and laughing heartily over all the hilarious and lovable characters. (Seriously that show is SO good.  And we just bought all seven seasons so...lots of happiness to look forward to!! :))

~Quoting movies with my siblings, and one brother in particular.  "You go into the kitchen and prepare me a chicken dinner."  "Super stuff."   -big huge grins-

~Listening to The Happiest Millionaire soundtrack while driving to pick my siblings up at school.  Honestly, people, that music makes me SO happy!  The first sound of it and I'm filled with these enormous feelings of inward delight.  Don't ask me why.  It's just the way it is.  (On a side note, something that makes me sad:  When my siblings start watching The Happiest Millionaire without me, and I'm forced to listen to the opening song while stuck in the dining room, wiping the table after dinner.  Yes.  This actually happened.  And yes. It was terribly, TERRIBLY sad.  My poor little heart was crying, "NO!  That's my movie! You can't watch it without me."  I missed some of my favorite songs and...*sob*) 

~Receiving letters emails from my friends.  Puts a smile on my face every single time. :D

~Finally wearing the new dress I bought earlier in the summer.  It's knee length, flared skirt makes me feel like a girl from the 50's or something. 

~When I realize that clothing stores do sometimes have some very nice clothes, and that it is actually possible for me to find something that fits, and that I like, and...yeah.  Wonder of wonders!  Shopping isn't always a tedious waste of an afternoon.  ;)

~Watching The Donna Reed Show.  Over and over again.  It's sort of my happy place, you might say.  And oh!  How I wish the sixth, seventh, and eighth seasons were available!  (That's another thing that makes me sad, you know.   :(  Ahem.  But enough of that.  This is supposed to be a happy post, right? Right.  -Miss March hears the cue and bursts into song, "Well, well, well, let's have a..." NO.  We're not going down that bunny trail.  Pull yourself together, Miss March.)

~The cute things my preschoolers say.  "I'm never going to scribble again.  You know that?"  Says Girl no. 1 to Girl no. 2, after finally learning how to color properly under Girl no. 2's professional tutelage.  ;)

~Crying out my woes upon my mother's shoulder, and feeling her arms around me. (Yes, you can be happy even in the midst of being miserable.)

~Watching Angier Duke grin at Cordelia Biddle and waltz her away across the dance floor.  Ohhh! Such happiness!  (And yeah, in case you were wondering, that's another reference to The Happiest Millionaire.  Sometimes I get the feeling that I rather like that movie...) 

~Eating a big heaping spoonful of oatmeal cookie dough.  Or perhaps two.  (Okay, three or four.)

~Having the energy to rush about from one chore to another, feeling thoroughly industrious.

~Writing.  (Sometimes. Heh.)

~Singing.

~Ironing clothes while listening to music. 

~Seeing my little Rolls Royce Silver Ghost car sitting on the wooden shelf in my room.  

My brother gave it to me and it's especially dear to my heart because (are you sure you want to hear this?) it's my Happiest Millionaire car.  (Yes, clearly I have that movie on the brain.  But you needn't laugh.  Just because I mentioned it three times in one post, doesn't mean I'm obsessed over it or anything.  I mean, how could it be called an obsession?  I'm not even a real fan yet!)  But, anyway, about my car.  I call it my Happiest Millionaire car because THM happens to have a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost in it. Yes, it does.  And that's how I know it's such a great car.  Because after all, it's a "masterpiece of engineering."  "Practically sewn together."  And all that. 

~Evening discussions with my family on varying topics, silly or serious.

 

~When we decide to order pizza instead of making supper ourselves.  And when we buy potato chips to go with it.  (Or sour cream and onion chips.  That's even better.)

 

~When my little brother informs me that it makes him feel "homey" to see me knitting.  (Awww.)

 

~My nephew's adorable little grin.

 

~My family.  (We have so much fun together!)

~Good music.  Such as this for example...

~Those moments when I experience a more tangible sense of God's presence, and a deep thankfulness for who He is, and for all that He's given me, wells up inside me.  

 

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is not variation or shifting shadow."  James 1:17

 

God is so good to us!  All the time.

 

So when you've been tagged...

Do a little dance!  Because it's so much fun to be tagged!!

(And then get down to business, because coming up with answers to eleven questions is going to take you a LONG time...and you know it.)

Right.  Let's begin...

I was positively thrilled to be tagged for the Liebster Award by Blessing Counter over at her blog Counting Your Blessings One by One.  I've done this tag before, but there's no rule saying I can't do it again so...your point was? 

Anyway, thank you so much, Blessing!  I love being tagged!!  :D

The Rules: 

1. Link back to the person who tagged you

2. Answer the 11 questions

3. Tag 11 bloggers (and let them know you tagged them)

4. Ask them 11 questions

1. What is your personality type?

Well, actually, I have two personality types.  The first one is IEGP-T and the second one is EHFO-R. These stand for Irritable, Emotional, Grouchy, Pessimistic-Tired and Enthusiastic, Happy-go-lucky, Fun, Optimistic-Rested.  And as I'm usually in a state of tiredness...well, you can draw your own conclusions on that one.  :P

Okay, sorry.  That was a joke.  I just needed a little warm-up before I could seriously begin. 

I took the 16 Personalities test the other day and ended up with...*drum roll please*...ISFJ-T.  Translated: Introverted: 95%,  Observant: 72%,  (ahem.  Since when did the word "observant" start with an 'S'?) Feeling: 82%,  Judging: 58%,  Turbulent: 58%.  

I'm really horrible at answering questions for these sorts of things so I wouldn't be surprised if it was slightly off, but at the same time reading through the description of ISFJs it did seem to be pretty accurate to what I know of myself.  The name for this personality type (according to the 16 Personalities website) is "Defender" and that certainly seemed to fit me best.  Much better at any rate than some of the other options, such as "Executive", "Adventurer", "Commander" "Entertainer"...yeah, not me. 

Here's a couple parts of the description that stuck out to me as being particularly accurate (because I know you just really wanted to get all this detail, right?): 

1. Given how generous ISFJs are with their warm praise and support, it's not surprising that others enjoy their company enough to call them friends. The challenge is to be considered a friend back – people with the ISFJ personality type are shy and a little protective of themselves, but they also need to be able to connect on a deeper emotional level. It makes sense then that most of ISFJs' friends are made not by random encounters on a wild night out, but through comfortable and consistent contact, as in class or in the workplace where they have the time to get to know each other little by little.

(Ahem.  Yeah, I guess that's why I kind of fall flat on my face with shock when someone calls me friend.  I want friends, but I have a hard time believing that people really want to my friend.  Until I've spent a significant amount of consistent time with a person, and am really sure they care about me and will continue to care, I have a hard time calling them friend without feeling that I'm presuming upon the relationship.)

2. While perfectly capable in the workplace and among friends, ISFJs' true passions lie in taking care of their families, from playing with their children to the mundane needs of the household, efforts ISFJs are only too happy to contribute.
(Totally me.  Don't give me careers, don't give me friends, but I could not live without family.  No.  Life would be a blank to me.)

Sorry that was a horrendously long answer to such a simple question. 

You can wake up now.  I'm done.

"Oh really?  Good."

2. What part of writing a blog post takes the longest for you? (writing, pictures, links, etc)

Probably the writing part of it.  I'm a perfectionist and edit my writing painstakingly before I publish it.  (And even after I publish it, believe it or not.  Actually, there have been very few posts which I have not gone back and made changes to after I hit the publish button.  Does anyone else do that?)  However, now that I think about it, pictures take up a lot of time, too, simply because it's really hard to find the right ones.   So...maybe a little of both?

3. Your favourite song from this week?

Oh, dear.  I don't  know.  I haven't listened to a whole lot of music this week...

Alright, I just finished listening to a of couple songs.  I choose this one. 

HE WON'T LET YOU GO

By Andrew Culverwell

4. Has spring arrived for you yet? 

Uh, yes, I think it has (as I sit here with a blanket around my shoulders).  Well, but it was here the other day.  I know it was.  :)

5. Tea and toast or a bowl of cereal for breakfast? 

Seeing that I don't drink much tea I guess I'll go with a bowl of cereal.  But it must be the right kind of cereal, because if it's the wrong kind...well, that'd just be wrong.  You know?

6. Favourite singer?

Andrew Culverwell, hands down.  Oh!  And Keith Greene, too.  Both excellent singers.  (And yes, I know.  I'm really up with the times.  ;))
   

7. What is one of the wildest, most beautiful dreams you've ever had? (can be either a daydream or a ... night dream. *crickets chirping* Is there such a thing as a night dream? )

Hmmm.  This is a hard one.  Let me think.  


Think, think.  Think, think.

Think, brain, THINK!



Nope.  Brain ain't thinkin'. 

Alright, wait a second!  I've got something.  One of the wildest, most beautiful dreams I've ever had (and this would be a daydream) is the dream of one day being in my own home, with a  loving husband--who I adore being with--and half a dozen little kids running about my immaculately clean, well-ordered household.  Oh, and a baby, too.  Mustn't forget the baby.  :)

8. Playing the piano or running outside with a cool summer's breeze blowing in your face? 

Oh dear.  Both sound so good.  I guess I'll have to go with the piano, though, since I play that more than I go outside.  (And besides, as a general rule, I don't run.  I walk.  Ha!)

9. Favourite author? (or if it'll make it easier, favourite book? ;)

Are you kidding me?  How in the world am I supposed to choose a favorite author?!!  This is torture!  (And no, choosing a favorite book doesn't make it any easier.  The idea.  ;))  Okay, I'll just mention one favorite author from among the many, and that would be Jane Austen.  I love her books.

10. Emails or letters? 

In theory, letters.  They're more old-fashioned and I love getting them in the mail.  However, looking at it from a practical standpoint, I'd have to say I like e-mails best, simply because I type much better than I write; and writing a letter becomes a very tedious process with all the scribbling and re-workings I end up doing.  (Ugh.)

11. Do you like collecting things? And if yes, what?

No, not particularly.  I'm not much of a collector.  I prefer to get rid of things, actually.  Haha.  Unless, of course, you want to count those little balls of cotton yarn I pick up every now and then at the craft store.  I buy them, not because I have a specific project to work on, but because they come in all manner of lovely and delicious colors and I just can't pass them up.  One can always use more dishcloths, right? 

Hey, wait!  Don't go back to sleep!  I know this is very long and all that, but there are still two more movements...*ahem* rules.  You know what I mean.  I've still got to come up with eleven questions and tag eleven people!   There is still much work to be done! 

Alright, fine.  Go ahead and sleep.  Anyway, you've got time.  It's going to take me a while to think up eleven questions. 

*And once again the masterful brain sets to work. Think, think. Think, think...*

*...Many hours later, on the afternoon of the following day...*

Whew!  I'm back!  Finally.  I was having difficulty coming up with all the questions yesterday, so I decided to sleep on it.  (A decision which Pooh heartily supported.)  However, I've got the questions now, so if you don't want to miss this exciting moment, Pooh, you'd better wake up!  You had the whole night to sleep anyway.  (Don't ask me why I'm talking to Pooh Bear.  I'm crazy, I know.) 

"Are you finished with this post yet?"  Almost. I just have to list the questions and then tag eleven people.  "Oh, that's right.  Well, let's hurry it up, shall we?  I'd like to do something other than sleep today."   -Sigh-

I decided to follow Blessings' example and keep the first question, but as to the rest, they are all my own. 

Questions:

1. What is your personality type?

2. What is one of your newest favorite movies? (As in one that you recently found, not necessarily a newly made film.)

3. Have you ever been prejudiced against a certain movie before watching it, but then after seeing it decided it wasn't so bad?  What movie was it?

4. If you could meet any author in person, who would it be?

5. How many siblings do you have, and where do you fall in the lineup?  (Sorry if that's a rather nosey question.  You may answer it or not as you so choose.)

6. If you could be related to any fictional character (from a movie or a book), who would it be and what relation would they be to you?

7.  What is your favorite household chore, and what is your worst?

8.  Anne and Diana (from Anne of Green Gables) are a classic example of best friends.  Do you have a best friend, and if so which one of you is more like Anne and which is more like Diana?

9. What was one of the first chapter books you ever read?  (You know, the one that made you feel so proud because you were reading a "big kids' book"!)

10. What is one of the yummiest, most delicious desserts you can think of at the present moment?

11.  If you could be a character in one of your favorite movies, which movie would it be and which character would you choose?

And I tag:

Olivia

Cordy

Naomi

Rae

Abby P

Rose

Natalie

Lexi

Evie

Emma

The Girl with the Gold Pen

Rosie McCann

Miss Meg

(For those of you who don't have blogs, you can answer in the comments if you like.)

Oh, and if there's anyone else who would like to complete this tag, please do!  Because I'd love to read your answers! 





"A-hem."  Yes, Rabbit?  "You just tagged thirteen people."  I did?  Oh.  Oops.  You're right.  Well, never mind.  No one said we had to follow the rules exactly.

AND NOW THIS POST IS DONE!!  WAHOO!

And when you've FINALLY finished your tag, rejoice with your readers and do a little dance...

...because this post was MUCH too long in the design. 

(And that is TOO true!  Sorry, people.  This really was very long.  I hope you managed to survive it.)

Since writing isn't coming very easy for me right now...

I've been in a bit of writing funk the past couple days.  (I'm calling it 'a bit of writing funk' because I'm not here to moan and groan about it, and that's what I do when I'm in a serious funk. Ha!)  Actually, I've been rather uninspired, and focusing on my different writing projects has been most difficult.  My brother had to tell me the other day to step back from writing for a bit and take a breath, so that's what I've been trying to do.  Just trying to relax and not worry about all the things I'm not getting done.  And you know what, it's been rather nice.  Being unproductive, I mean.  ;)

 



I'm just going to sit here and nibble on my carrot.  Ah, this is the life.

 

 

Anyhow.  I have tons of post ideas in my head at the moment, but as I said I'm in a writing funk so you're not going to get any of those today.   Instead, for this post I simply want to share a song with you.   It's called "Storybook Realities" and it's sung by B. J. Thomas.  I've been listening to this song quite a bit  ever since my siblings and I bought the CD for our mom for Christmas.  It's a song about dreams.  We all have dreams, right?  Things we want to accomplish in life.  Things we think will make us happy and fulfilled.  Well, this song is a beautiful reminder that our happiness and fulfillment come from God alone.  All our dreams are wrapped up in Him.  Apart from Him they're nothing.  He's our true happiness; and the only one who can fulfill the deepest longings and desires of our hearts.

 

 

 

 

 Have a lovely and blessed day!

 

~Miss March

 

My Dad

Well, it was Father's Day yesterday.  I meant to have this post done before the actual holiday, but I'm late, as usual.  I'll just have to fall back on the old saying, "Better late than never," and press on...

This post is going to be divided into two sections.  The first section being a chance for me to rant a bit on the way dads are constantly being portrayed in our modern times.  And the second being a chance for me to tell you that I have one of the absolute best dads in the whole wide world!  (No. I'm not the least bit biased.)  Let us begin.

Section One:

Rant in Progress...

It seems to me that the pervading opinion about dads these days is that they're a weak and helpless lot.  They're always failing their kids and coming up short in everything.  Have you ever noticed how many movies there are containing pointed lessons to dads on how they should behave?  The dad is always the one whose doing things wrong.  He's always the one with the problem.  I know there are a lot of dads out there who are not caring for their families like they should, but honestly there are plenty of moms in that boat, as well.  And what I don't understand is why someone can't make a movie about a dad whose doing things the right way.  That would influence people just as much as a dad whose doing everything wrong but has a miraculous change at the end of the film.  (That's my opinion anyway.)

What really ticks me off is how we dumb down fatherhood even in the church.  This past Mother's Day is a good example.  At our Sunday service they showed a "humorous" video (I wasn't laughing) about a couple moms who go away for the weekend leaving their husbands to look after the children.  (Horrors! Fathers don't know how to look after children!!!!)  The husbands see them off, saying "Go and have fun, we've got this."  But as soon as the car disappears out the driveway they look at each other in the most helpless manner and wonder what in the world they got themselves into.  They're hopeless.  They go bumbling about the house as if the kids and all the duties pertaining to them are completely new and unheard of.  And then of course the children are simply horrible.  As soon as mother is out of the house they turn into little monsters, and the fathers are so weak and incapable that the children trample all over them!  In fact, the dads are so clueless that they end up looking online for information on how to care for their own children!  Seriously?

That movie made us so mad.  We came home from church that day and fairly butchered it with our sarcastic and affronted comments.  Why, oh why, must we downplay fatherhood and make it look like a joke in order to honor motherhood?  It doesn't make sense!  (Actually, my thirteen-year-old brother pointed out to me later that that video really wasn't a good tribute to motherhood either.  If the kids act so horrible the minute mom walks out the door, she can't be doing a  very good job of training them while she's there.  I quite agree.) 

Anyway, a mom's job is a huge deal, it really is, but the dad is just as influential in his kids lives as the mom is.  (And he certainly has brains enough to know what his kids need; and the fortitude to do the dirty jobs in order to accomplish what is best for them.)  It's not just "dad works, mom raises the kids."  No way!  Dads are constantly speaking into their children's lives and seeking wisdom for how to raise them properly.  They invest in their children just as much as moms do.  And it annoys me that dads in movies are constantly being portrayed as the failures.  Like I told my brother in an e-mail, "I am now going to make it my lifelong ambition to make best selling movies all about very, VERY, VERY good, and responsible, fathers!"  (Okay, so that was sort of a joke, but, really, I do feel like that sometimes.)

Thank you for allowing me to let off some steam.  I assure you, I am now putting away my soap box for the time being. 

...Moving on to section two. 

Section Two:

My Dad. 

Unlike my Mother's Day post, I can't think of many dads in movies who could properly represent my father.  He's just so different.  I do often think of Mr. Bennett when I think of my dad, but that's probably because Daddy loves to quote him.  ("No lace, Mrs. Bennett!  I beg you!"  "And yet, I am unmoved.")  But he's not very much like Mr. Bennett, really. 

(Except, he does love to read.  And he's quiet and likes to have time alone.  And he's got that little twinkle in his eye...like Mr. Bennett.)

My dad was a pastor for the first ten years of my life.  He has a gift for preaching and always has something insightful and inspiring to say.  I can sit and listen to him for hours.  His hunger and passion for God's word is contagious. 

My dad is selfless, and humble, and totally devoted to God and His plan for his life.  He doesn't want the easy life.  He wants the growing life.  When God spoke to him about the blessing of children, way back in college, Daddy listened.  He let God plan his family and he has never regretted it.  He often tells us kids how thankful he is that each one of us is in this world--that he didn't miss a single child.  Every child God wanted to give him is here.  Right here.   It adds so much value to a person's life to know that they were wanted.  To know that God planned for them to be here and that their parents welcomed them with open arms.  Not begrudgingly but thankfully.   I'm so grateful to be able to say that that is true of my life.

 

My dad is a devoted husband.  He loves my mom and he shows it every day.  He truly takes the passage in the Bible to heart where God tells husbands to love their wives even as Christ loved the church.  My dad is always giving up his wants for others...not because it's demanded of him but because he wants to.

 

My dad is one of the calmest, most encouraging people I know.  He doesn't mind change, and he doesn't get stressed about it.  He's a rock.  A quiet strength.  A forever dependable, faithful, protector.   I remember many years ago being at a pastor's conference.  There were classes for the parents and classes for the children, and I didn't want to go to my class.  (My siblings and I were notorious for skipping out on classes.  We didn't want to be separated from our parents even for an hour.)  I remember how Daddy took me for a walk around the property and how I hung on to him, clutching his thumb, and wouldn't let go the whole time.  I still remember that feeling of clinging to him--knowing that as long as I had hold of my Daddy's hand everything would be alright. 

 

 

"To her the name of father was another name for love."  ~Fanny Fern

 

 

 

Thank you, Daddy, for being a man of God.  For living not for the moment, nor for worldly gain, but for eternity and the true life that comes in following after God.  You inspire me.  You encourage me.  You make me laugh!  I love you and I'm so grateful to be able to call you "Daddy."

 

 

 

Here is a really sweet song that I just recently discovered.  It's an old one, but I tend to go for old songs over new songs.  It's actually sung from the perspective of a son rather than a daughter...but I like it.  It still says what I'd like to say about my dad. 

 

 

And for the record...and just so there's no doubt about it!  I have the best dad in the world!  (Sorry, to everybody else out there!  But like the experts say, good dads are terribly scarce these days.  There's only so many to go around.  Ha!)