{gratitude on this Father's Day}

On this Father's Day, I am so thankful for my dad. His love, support, encouragement, and guidance  continues to be one of the very best parts of my life. I am so very blessed to have the parents that I have...... and to now get to share those parents with my children as their grandparents makes it even more special.

I am so thankful for this man.

I am so thankful to Paul, my father in law, for raising Ben to be the wonderful man, spouse, and father that he is. They have a great relationship and I know Ben is so grateful to his dad for all that he does. I feel thankful that my kids have such a great Papa who so freely gives of his time, love, and laughter.

How fortunate we are to have grown up with these fathers. They have taught us, with their words and with their actions, that there is nothing more important than family.

We have fathers who we could call at any time of the day and for any reason and be met with support.  My dad has been at my side at some of the most overwhelming moments of my life, offering his gentle support and just being there. What a gift this is.

We have fathers who tell us how proud they are of the people we are.  My dad is especially good at telling his kids how proud he is of us- not only proud of the big accomplishments, but simply proud of the lives we lead.  They both light up when they talk about their grandchildren.

We have fathers who laugh often and make life more fun. 

We have fathers who teach us and their grandkids new things all of the time. Even as adults with four kids of our own, Ben and I both still sometimes turn to our dads as "the experts" on many topics.

We have fathers who are always open for a little adventure or fun outing with their families. I love that we get to experience so many things with them by our sides. What special memories I have with both of them- showing my kids the ocean for the first time, horseback riding at the top of a mountain, dune buggy riding, white water rafting, exploring too many new cities to count, camping... the list goes on and on.

We have fathers who are so very giving of their time. When we go to Decatur for a visit, they make spending time with us a priority. We are grateful for all of the talks, laughs, movies, naps, books, walks, dinners out, coffee time, and special attention they give during each and every one of our trips home. We are also grateful for the many weekends they come to see us, no matter how far away we live. 

We have fathers who make the people in their lives feel important and loved.

We have fathers who make our lives better simply by being in them. 

My deepest love and appreciation for these two wonderful men goes beyond the words of this post.

Happy Father's Day to you both! What a blessing you are in our lives.