Let Me Tell You about my Dad

Every little girl should be a daddy's little girl. When I was growing up I thought my dad was perfect. (I have since learned differently, but have chosen to forget that part !) We had the most unique toys of anyone: a bicycle built for two, a trampoline before trampolines were cool, and ski skates ! If you don't know what ski skates are, just think about it for a moment. So, anyway, back in the day, it used to snow and that meant presents for us - puzzles, games, coloring books, crayons - you name it ! And sometimes, if I was really good at it, I could fake sick and get to stay home from school. (That never worked, however, on Sunday nights when the Wizard of Oz came on t.v. during church.) And if I got to stay home from school, that meant tomato soup, cheese sandwiches and more games.
Daddy would always make sure everyone was taken care of, which sometimes meant holding onto his paycheck until everyone else in the plant got paid first. But Friday night meant hot dogs and Cheerwine.... yum! He took us to the beach faithfully two weeks out of the summer - dropping us off on Sunday and returning to the work week and coming back on Saturday. Then the camping phase - a whole new adventure and another future post.
Throughout the years, my dad has spent so much money on his girls and his grandchildren; he is an endless supply of support, but more importantly he is an endless supply of wisdom. He truly took his father role seriously.
One winter day I was visiting my parents with my two young sons. It began to ice and snow and I needed to get home. My dad said he needed to go to the store and that he would follow me as far as the store so that I would be safe. (We lived about 25 minutes away and the store was halfway.) I crept along, praying all the way that we would not slip off the road. A 25-minute ride turned into a 50-minute ride, but as I turned down my street, I looked in the rearview mirror and my daddy had followed me all the way !
The Bible says that God is a father to us, a giver of good and perfect gifts, our Creator, our hope, our first love. My daddy set an example of an earthly father with a lot of things, but most importantly introduced me to my heavenly Father who is perfect. My heavenly Father watches all the way for me. Not only does He follow, but He leads, He surrounds, He holds and He gives - only the very best.