peanut buster parfait

(me and my dad, january 2013)

I got a phone call shortly after dinner tonight.  It was my dad.  Today is his birthday and we had already had our “birthday” chat.  But, he was calling for one reason and one reason only.  He wanted me to know something important.  My dad was calling to tell me that he was at Dairy Queen – about to have a peanut buster parfait.

The Peanut Buster Parfait is an important part of  history for me and my dad.  I remember the first time that we went to have the sundae at DQ.  It was in Findlay, OH right after our move there.  My dad, my sister Marilyn and I went to the local establishment on a particular occasion.  We were in the middle of a rough time.  My mom had just been in a terrible car accident and she was in the hospital.  All three of us were a bit distraught, in need of distraction and Dairy Queen fit the bill.  This was the beginning of something very important for us : the daddy-daughter date.   Needless to say it holds a very special place in our hearts.

Ever since then, its been the go-to place for my dad and I. Especially when I was in school at BGSU, we would regularly go to the Myle’s Dairy Queen near campus.  It was our time together.  I knew if I called my dad and said, “Hey!  You wanna meet me?” he’d be there.  It was rare for him to turn me down.

But, I moved far away and got married and grew up.  Not so many opportunities for DQ these days.

My dad’s call tonight, on his birthday, reminded me of something.  No matter how far I move away, or how old I get, I will always be his daughter.  Space and time will never change that fact.  He’s my dad and he loves me.

This is true about my Heavenly Father too.  No matter where I go, what I do, His love for me is a fact.  It does not change; it can not be altered.  He is my dad and I am his daughter.  I cannot out grow, out live or use up His care for me.  That is the best news that I have heard all day.   My dad’s call reminded me just how much I’m loved – by my earthly father and my Heavenly Father too.

There are so many verses that are well known, that tell us just how much God loves his children.  I could never fit them all on here.  But, today  I’ve been thinking of this simple little song – all day.  Funny how it fits here, now.

He Knows My Name…
I have a maker, He formed my heart.  Before even time began, my life was in His hands.
I have a Father, He calls me his own.  He’ll never leave me, no matter where I go.
He knows my name. He knows my ev’ry thought.  He sees each tear that falls and hears me when I call.

happy birthday dad!  next time you’re in town, DQ’s on me!

(One of my favorites, written originally on March 8, 2011.)