My dad rocks

This was the shirt Jonathan wore Sunday, Father’s Day, and while it was true of his dad, it is also true of my own.  I’m not sure I can put into words why my dad rocks, he just does. He’s always been there for me. I always know where I stand with him. And I feel like no matter how old I get I am still his little girl.

My dad’s been a truck driver for 30-some years. He hasn’t driven cross-country, but instead delivers concrete blocks and sometimes drives a cement mixer within a two-state radius. I hope I got those terms right. If I didn’t, he’ll let me know, I’m sure. He likes to tease me about the difference between the two — cement and concrete. My dad is a champion teaser.

When I was little I used to wait for him to come home at night and I would run out the front door to greet him, throwing my arms around his legs and hugging him tight. I could smell motor oil and cement on him and knew he’d worked hard that day. He worked hard every day, whether a week day at the plant or a Saturday in the yard at home. He still works hard.

Work on Sunday was light. Sunday is the Lord’s Day and any major kind of shopping was simply not done in my family. Picking up a soda or a loaf of bread? OK. Going to the mall? Nope. Didn’t happen – or at least not often. My parents simply didn’t feel it was appropriate to do this on a day that was meant to be a day of rest and a time to worship God.

My Dad is a true man of God, a man who I looked up to as a young woman and as a Christian. Together he and my mom have created the foundation of my faith based on the word of God.

My Dad is not a man who usually sits down to read a book for fun. When he does read it is either the Bible or a book on theology. He says he isn’t smart, but to me he is brilliant because when he does read it is to gain more knowledge on his God, not on things only men care about.

But as serious as he can be at times, he can also be funny. He loves a good Red Skeleton skit, laughs at slapstick, and Veggie Tales stories entertain him as much as any child.

Whether working in the garden, teasing a family member or friend, or praying and fasting fervently for a friend with cancer, my dad is someone I can’t help but look up to.

And on this day, as I do every day, I hope he knows how much he means to me and how I really am still his little girl.