HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD

It wasn't until this year that I have come to more of a realistic mental grip of how much I appreciate my dad.

· He is very giving and patient, willing to help people without expectation. I have always seen him helping students move in to their rooms, carting them to and from airports at all times of the night, and inviting them over to eat and hang out. It’s hard to attribute that in him as something natural and human, and to me it is a shining evidence of the Lord’s work in his heart.

· He loves his family and rejoices in them all the time. He once drove with my sister Shannon 24 hours from Portland to New Mexico to support me at an arts festival I was competing at. They looked miserable (lol) but still squeaked out smiles for everyone.

· He is encouraging and loving. I can’t remember any moment in my life where he put me down, made me feel inferior, or boxed my potential – in fact, he has encouraged me to explore my passions and listen to what the Lord has for me. He would (and did) drop anything to come rescue his family when they are in need; I think that he even looks for opportunities to show them how important they are to him by means of rescue. One year, I remember my dad and mom cancelled a trip they had to Thailand because it fell during my birthday – feel the love.

All to say that I love my dad, I am proud of him,

and he is a great pioneer of what it is to be a man and father.