Well I did a little "tribute" to my Mom....and so I felt that I really couldn't go without doing one about my Dad. You REALLY must meet my Dad. He is one of those people...well - everyone likes him. Some people call him Steve, or Murf....sometimes Murphy...the wee ones in our family lovingly call him Papa....my sisters and I - well, we call him Dad.
In case you are wondering and you don't know me or my family......I am a carbon copy of my Dad. Ragon is a carbon copy of me....and the craziness just goes on and on...
Here are the Top 10 Lessons My Dad has taught me....
10. Don't put value in things. (You should know this about me, I have NO emotional connection to "things" - so don't give me a gift, expecting me to hold on to it forever and have a sentimental attachment - it just isn't going to happen!)
9. Don't judge others - you never know where they have been.
8. Delay gratification - do the work first - then play!
7. Educational debt is good investment.
6. You don't know anything unless you know it first hand. (aka gossip sucks! - if you weren't there, you don't know what happened - I think he had to tell me this a thousand times)
5. Murphy's don't say "can't" - we just knuckle down, buckle down and (say it sisters) DO IT DO IT DO IT!!!! (My Dad taught me that nothing I want is beyond reach)
4. Watch your mouth. Your mouth can build a person up or tear a person down. Make sure you are always building someone up.
3. Work hard no matter what. My Dad brought me up to have a good work ethic. If my Dad had to take a job flipping burgers at McDonalds to pay the bills he would...and so would I. My Dad taught me to do what has to be done to get by. I taught Jazzercise and cleaned offices to get through law school....and you know what? I am PROUD of that!
2. Love your neighbor - recently my Dad has taught me to always remember that EVERYONE has value. Be it the homeless person on your corner, the senior citizen in the retirement community, the drug addict, or the sex offender (yes i said that)....they all have value. Christ loves them and we should show them grace....he doesn't just say this - he lives it.
1. Christ is everything....God is the center of my Dad's life, he is the center of his family. Jesus Christ is my Dad's savior, and you will know this the minute you meet him, because he lives it, he breathes it, and he speaks it. And I am so proud.
I love my Daddy, and I love him more and more every day for the woman that he brought me up to be. Now that I have a daughter who is like me, I know how he feels about me. He is one of the few people on Earth who fully "gets" me. He gets that I feel everything passionately, he gets that I love others deeply, he gets how desperately I want to help victims of crime, he understands that I would take the shirt off my back if you really need it, and he tears up the same way I do when they raise the flag and salute military, and he praises the same God I do everyday for the blessings he has bestowed upon our family.
And that my friends......is my Daddy.
7 comments:
seriously...SERIOUSLY! What are you trying to do to me???
What a good tribute to dad! Are they working on their will again??? Just kidding!
I LOVE IT! I may have to steal your idea!
Thanks for doing this!
That was a beautiful post of your Dad...Molly is a riot!
If someone read your blog and didn't know you...they would just by reading who your parents are!!
Amazing people who make everyone in their presence feel valuable! They are awesome at displaying Christ's love :)
Oh, you really wanted to make me cry today!! You described your daddy perfectly, and YES - YOU, too!! So very proud of you, Becki for modeling your Dad and Jesus!!... Love, Mom
Sister...what perfect words to describe dad...and, thank God he is our dad...I wouldn't want anyone else! We are so blessed God picked him to be our dad!!!!
I love you!!!
Steph
What a wonderful tribute... He sounds like a wonderful man.
So glad I got to meet you at the shower. Everything was perfect!
Tractor Momma :-)
Awesome post! I do put value into some "things" though, like scrapbooking, and gifts important people have given me.
Mind you, maybe the value isn't in the thing themselves, but in what they represent. That makes sense, right?
We loved your mom and dad so much, they made such an impact on our lives that we named our son after them. I know it sounds corny, but we just knew that we'd have a little red headed guy (which we do) and Murphy sounded so perfect (which it is). He, like your dad, is not ashamed to tear up when it's called for -- now, if Steve could just give him some pointers on controlling his short-fused temper!!
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