Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Dad's Girl

The older I get, the more I am SO much my dad...and I am SO okay with that. I used to complain about some of the things I got from my dad, but now I see that they are all things that don't matter anyway. I have come to focus more on what I DID get from dad...and I am so grateful for it all. For any of you that TRULY know me, you know that I am just as blond as my dad...eyelashes, eyebrows, and all! (Thank goodness for eyebrow dye, mascara, and self-tanner. I even got his white legs!) I got the red in my hair from him, which has turned to a nice "platinum" (I like to call it "celestial"), my freckles from him, and even my crooked smile from him. All things that I thought were nuisances, but have become so endearing to me.

I even have the rough, wrinkled, thick skin of my dad! Who would have thought that something that detailed could be handed down to a child, all the way down to not being able to close off that last finger next to the rest. Yep, dad can't do that either! That's pretty cool, I think. (At least I can grow my nails out to help the look a little...)
But with all of the "nuisances" that I've been given from my dad, my hope is that I eventually get so much more of him - the parts that I have come to love so much. How he never says anything bad about anyone. NEVER. How everything he does is for someone else. EVERYTHING. How he is so devoted to God and the cause that he would die for it. How he has always put mom first. I hope I can someday put Kevin first in all things. Sure, it's taken dad 80 years to become who he is today...but frankly, I have never known him to be any other person than who he has always been to me. Now more than ever, I am so thankful I am so much like my dad.

8 comments:

Kira said...

I love this post...lately I've been thinking a lot about both you and dad and what I've inherited from each of you, and what I wish I wouldve inherited. I've also been thinking of grandpa and how I want to head down there this summer and refinish their front door with him. He mentioned it last time I was down there, and I feel I need to go do that.

Sherri said...

What a beautiful tribute to your father. Makes me miss my Dad more than normal (which is every day since he passed away 22 years ago)!

Lexie & Sharrid said...

You totally are grandpa. I think Michaela is turning into you. She's the most like you from our family, maybe Landon in some ways but I can really see that. I am so much like dad. I don't have much from you but I do have your uneven skin, at least on the face. And the light eye brows. I got dad's pretty hands and his feet and all his mannerisms. It's fun to see what you get from your parents. What's even better is to see things you got from your grandparents! I am so Willard...or Gardener, but probably both.

Connie said...

Cool post, Mom. Yeah, I still think of myself as a pretty good mix. I don't know how much I got from either side of grandparents, but I think I got things from both Mom and Dad.

Super Coopers said...

I love how I feel like even though I have never met your dad I can get a glimpse of him in you. How cool is that. How nice to have such an amazing and inspiring role model. I hope it doesn't take us 80 years to be like our role models. [Love the pinky picture...I have to see that in person.]

Michaela said...

I love this post. You're so wonderful Mom. I don't think I'm the most like you. Hehe. I'd be proud to say it if it were true. Maybe someday. I'd be happy to be like you or Dad. :) Really hope I get to come visit. I miss you guys terribly.

Lexie & Sharrid said...

oh i meant more physical things kayla. Like you walk and stand like mom and you look like her a lot too in the face, especially with sunglasses on, oh my gosh. It's really cool to see for me. It fun. I recognize people a lot by the way they stand and walk and stuff because of my eyes, so it's really neat to see you two match up so closely.

Lott's Wife said...

Lovely tribute to your daddy...