BeautyRevealed | The Blog of Melissa J. Dillon

“Every father should remember that one day his child will follow

his example instead of his advice.”

- Author Unknown

My dad turns 59 today. For his birthday we ordered Papa Murphy’s pizza, drank Cream Soda and rented an old John Wayne classic to watch as a family. Then chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream and presents of course. The evening fit daddy to a “T”.  It is the simple things in life that mean the most to dad… family, good food, westerns… chocolate. 

My dad is one of my greatest heros. He’s the hardest worker I know. He’s so selfless, so giving. He built their home, that we all love so much, with his own hands. In between a full-time job and projects on his own house, he still makes time to help us kids with anything we need. On our own house he has completely remodeled the downstairs bathroom, helped us paint (twice!), leveled our backyard with Mark (by hand), and put in a Creative Space upstairs for me for my many projects I love to work on. He’s a giver. He would give you the shirt off his back if anyone needed it. He’ll go with holes in his shoes for a year as long as we all have what we need. How humbling to have a father like this. 

It has been said that girls tend to marry a man just like her father. I knew right away that my dad and Mark had the same laid back temperaments and they got along like they’d known each other forever. But I had no idea just how true it was until after Mark and I were married for a while… then the similarities began to get scary! The same sense of humor (as you can see!), the same likes and dislikes (even in food), the same one-liners, the same responses to their wives! The list goes on and on. I’m so so so happy that I married Mark, because considering how much I adore my Daddy, I know I’ll love him forever.

But the thing I am most grateful for is the hunger that Dad has for the things of the Lord. We kids are so lucky to have a father with such spiritual discernment and wisdom. Most of what he has taught us has been through the example that he has lived, but so many times now, we come to him with our questions and thoughts and discussions on the character of God, theology and our wrestlings with tests and trials and the faith we need to press through them. Never once has he been too busy to sit and talk… to pray with us and gently guide us with the Word of God. To continually train us in the way that we should go.

We love you, Dad! Thank you for being a man of integrity and strength… our lives are forever changed because you live for Jesus!

“Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you out of Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life. Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!” – Psalm 128

Tags: Family, Parties

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 12th, 2008 at 1:20 pm and is filed under Melissa. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.