Father's Day

I've been thinking of my "step"father Danny a lot today. I hate to have to use that word - Step - because I wonder if people who did not know him downplay the importance he had in my life because he wasn't my "real" Dad. Danny did so much to make our blended family one tied together by love and grace. Just the other day Jessica was asking me more questions about my family, and she was surprised when she finally realized that Sheila, Darren, Keri and I were not biological brothers and sisters. I had mentioned that Sheila and I had never lived in the same house and she looked very surprised and confused! I told her the reason she didn't know we hadn't always been family was because of Papa's example, and it was because of his legacy that I know my family will embrace her as if she has always been a part of our clan. I know he would have loved her and she would have loved him. She told me the other night that she feels like she did know him because of the way I talk about him. I can't wait for her to hear more stories from her cousins, aunts, and uncles.

As I watch her struggle to trust Martin as not just her "friend", but her Dad, I think about how much my relationship with Danny brought healing into my life. He helped me to trust men, to know it was okay to rely on a man. He helped me learn that someone can be mad at you but not take love away. He taught me what it meant to love without condition, to be loyal in the toughest of times. I wish he was here because maybe he could help Jessica with the same issues and maybe she would trust Martin more. My greatest joy has been to see the unconditional love that Martin has for her, and my greatest pain is that she has been hurt so much by other people that she isn't sure how to receive a real, pure, love from him. And I have hope, for all of us! Through us she has a number of honest, loyal, even-tempered men in her life now who have embraced her as grandfathers and grandfatherly types, like Papa "Mo", "Grandpa" Gene, Grandpa Tom, Mr. Owens, Mr. Gallagher, and Mr. Carson to name a few! All of them, and most of all a Heavenly Father, will bring healing and courage.

I shared this verse with her last night:
Zephaniah 3:17 "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing". Please pray that she will see her Heavenly Father as this image reveals - trusting, kind, gentle, and who takes great joy in who she is, and that she would see how Martin's life and love reflect this same God!