(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.)

(This post was written, during my first month of blogging, three years ago on October 1, 2010 – But, it is more true than ever!)

Friday morning.  Its a special Friday – the one on the calendar that is sandwiched between my anniversary and my birthday.  I’m sitting here in my living room with my cup.  Its my favorite coffee cup.  It fits me perfectly.  A china cup with a cherry red background and white floral pattern… best of all it has hot coffee in it – with lots of cream and a bit of sugar.

On this very important Friday, just before I turn 35 and just after I have celebrated 11 years with my incredible husband, I can’t help but look into my mug and see my blessings.  I am overwhelmed, I have so much to be thankful for.

Thankful because it could have been very different.  Step back in time just over 12 years ago.  Poor choices and a declining walk with the Savior put me in a very difficult and unhappy place.  I found myself grieving the end of a relationship, in pain, confused and disappointed.  My heart had become  hard and my life was very dark.

I will never forget lying on the couch, in the family room of my parents’ home, creating a puddle of tears, completely devastated at the mess my life and my heart had become.  And my mom came to me – we listened to worship music.  She sat next to me with my head in her lap and read Scripture to me and stroked my hair.  If ever the Holy Spirit has come  to me wrapped in flesh, it was that day, as my mom. (thank you, mom…)

Over and over again we listened to one song – the last line spoke to me : “Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.”  It was as if He were whispering a sweet and gentle promise in my ears.  I knew there was hope- I could begin again with this assurance : He had a plan for me.  and it was better.

And so, a few months later, His plan began to unfold.  I graduated from college and moved  here, where I met my sweet husband.  We were married not long after and the rest is history.  Its my history – filled with pain and blessing.

Let me be clear:  We are not rich by the world’s standards.  Our house is not large, we do not drive a fancy car, my wardrobe is mostly from Target.  Life is not always easy.  But my blessings are innumerable – they overflow from the depths of my heart as I think of them.

Their names are Michael, Emily, Isaac and Mackenzie.  They are my parents and my husband’s parents.  Its the restored relationship I’ve experienced with my sister and her family.  Its my extended family that reaches from Los Angeles to Oklahoma to Huntsville, Ontario ; the godly heritage that comes from these family lines is woven into the very fabric of my life.  I can’t even begin to mention friends that are nearby, and friends who are even closer to my heart, but live so far away.  And this is just the beginning…

I find myself realizing that I am not blessed because of wealth or means.  I am blessed because I am on the path He has chosen for me.  And as I think of all the ways that He cares for me and shows me His love for me, my heart is moved.  My cup runneth over!

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, even the God of our Salvation!  Psalm 68:19

amen.

md

This is my mom, Rose.

She is one amazing woman.  A Pastor’s Wife, a Mother and these days one of my Best Friends.

My whole life growing up, she was an operating room nurse.  A servant of the highest order, she gave her life to help people who needed medical intervention at critical moments.

She purposefully organized our home life, preparing dinners ahead for us, making sure laundry was being done, the house always immaculate – all while keeping her schedule at the hospital.  As a mother and wife now, I’m not sure how she did it all.

There were times when her endeavors helped keep our family afloat financially.  And even in the best of senses, her occupation as a nurse allowed for my dad to minister in some churches that were not able to pay him what he was worth, even if that was their desire.

Working as an operating room nurse in her specialty, cardiac surgery, can be grueling and requires nerves of steel.  When I was in high school, I remember her drive to the hospital beginning around 5:30 in the morning, before the light of day.  And she would arrive home at night some times long after dark, having been on her feet the whole day long, with barely time to squeeze in a quick lunch break during the day.

In the prime of her career, I can think of times where she may have been on call – working hard through a Saturday night into the wee hours of Sunday morning.  And still she arrived to church with my Dad, looking beautiful and unscathed.   How she did it graciously without complaining, other than suggesting she might squeeze in a Sunday afternoon nap, I will never know.

And, yes, I also remember her staying up late into the night, sewing my prom dress one year, in spite of the fact she needed to be up before dawn the next morning.

I’m not sure if I know a more selfless, gracious, hard working woman than my mom.

Well, Rose retired last Friday from her 41 year career as an operating room nurse.  Many of her coworkers shared lovely thoughts and spoke glowing compliments of her dedication, accomplishments and skill.

But, it is my turn, now.

Mom, literally your work saved lives daily, but I know you were a nurse with loving kindness and commitment to your calling ; it has been a tangible witness to everyone who knows you of our Savior’s grace.  Your life has been an incredible example of all that a Proverbs 31 Woman is.

I could not be more proud of you and I love you.

from Proverbs 31:

She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
³¹ Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.