Father's Day 2011

The kids did a great job keeping the secret about what they got me (minus the email I got from Amazon.com about one of my presents, because Crystyne couldn't change the email.) Anyway, I would have been fine with nothing, but I love everything I received.

Are you sensing a theme?

My new flag and below a new Gonzaga shirt.

I then had the privilege of speaking in Sacrament meeting at church. I was the final speaker and I talked about Teaching in the home as a father. Here were two of my favorite parts of the talk.

The story of First Parent, by Bill Cosby

Whenever your kids are out of control, you can take comfort from the thought that even God's omnipotence did not extend to his kids.

After creating Heaven and Earth, God created Adam and Eve. And the first thing He said to them was: "Don't."

"Don't what?", Adam replied.

"Don't eat the forbidden fruit."

"Forbidden fruit? Really? Where is it?"

"It's over there," said God, wondering why He hadn't stopped after making the elephants.

A few minutes later God saw the kids having an apple break and He was angry.

"Didn't I tell you not to eat that fruit?" the First Parent asked.

"Uh huh," Adam replied.

"Then why did you?"

"I dunno," Adam answered.

God's punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own.

Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed. But there is reassurance in this story.

If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give them wisdom and they haven't taken it, don't be hard on yourself.

If God had trouble handling children, what makes you think it would be a piece of cake for you?

The second one is this poem by C.C. Miller called "The Echo".

’Twas a sheep not a lamb

That strayed away in the parable Jesus told,

A grown-up sheep that strayed away

From the ninety and nine in the fold.

And why for the sheep should we seek

And earnestly hope and pray?

Because there is danger when sheep go wrong:

They lead the lambs astray.

Lambs will follow the sheep, you know,

Wherever the sheep may stray.

When sheep go wrong,

It won’t take long till the lambs are as wrong as they.

And so with the sheep we earnestly plead

For the sake of the lambs today,

For when the sheep are lost

What a terrible cost

The lambs will have to pay.

Today I am thankful for a father who raised me well, who taught me honor and virtue, trust and believing in myself. For two grandfathers who's influence helped to shape me as a person. And a Heavenly Father who loves me dearly and has given me the opportunity to experience what these great men have experienced in raising their children. I only hope to be half the man that they are.