A Shout Out to My Dad

Can I just say that my dad is awesome. I am so grateful that I've had the chance to be his daughter. He is a man of many talents which he generously shared with me. He spent evenings playing catch, pitching or hitting pop flies for me during my softball days. He is brilliant in many areas like church history, math, journaling, wood working, gardening, laundry and ironing, electrical work, to be a hard worker and so much more.

About 5 years ago, my dad noticed some weakness in his shoulders when he was helping my sister with a project. It progressed throughout his whole body. After years of testing, they've finally decided that he has Lou Gehrig's or ALS. Watching my dad struggle with tasks that used to be so easy is one of the hardest things I've had to do. It tugs at my heart when I watch him struggle to stand and walk. He can't sleep lying down anymore so he sleeps in his office chair. I can't imagine it's comfortable at all.

The amazing thing to me is that he doesn't let it get the best of him. Don't get me wrong, he has good and bad days and he'll cuss when he's frustrated but he is still the wonderful person who I had the opportunity to grow up with.

I was pitching the baseball for Calvin the other day and I was remembering how happy it made me feel when he would spend this time with me. I have a journal that he wrote in when I was little. The stories are hilarious, priceless and I feel so lucky that he took the time to write them down. The best thing about this is that it makes me want to spend good quality time with my kids. I want them to remember and feel loved by me like I have felt with my dad. I want them to know him and to know that he loves them. I talk to them about him and the things that he did for me.