Fatherhood...

I was reading a Catholic newspaper we receive in the mail and saw this excerpt from Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Exhortation, Familiaris Consorio:

"[A] man is called upon to ensure the harmonious and united development of all the members of the family...by exercising generous responsibility for the life conceived under the heart of the mother, by a more solicitous commitment to education, a task he shares with his wife, by work which is never a cause of division in the family but promotes its unity and stability, and by means of the witness he gives of an adult Christian life which effectively introduces the children into the living experience of Christ and the Church." (No. 25).

I have so much to be thankful for in my boys' father.  He strives daily toward this vocation of fatherhood, spoken of by JPII.  I am so blessed to have a man right by my side, raising our children, who wants to be a part of every part of their lives as well.  While he sometimes leaves the house before sun up, puts in a long day of manual labor and gets home, surely exhausted, a little after 5:00, he acts as if his day has just begun when he sees the boys and me.  Their faces light up unlike they have been all day, and Carter practically waves his little hand off his arm, welcoming his daddy home while Peter's little dimple couldn't get any bigger as he grins from ear to ear.  The giggling and wrestling begin, the play intensifies and the joy apparent in the boys smiles and giddiness speaks ever-so-clearly to me: their dad isn't just an authority figuring popping in the door from time to time and going trough the motions.  Rather, their dad is their number one fan, their safety and their everyday role model for the way a man should be.

Beyond spending an incredible amount of quality time with the boys, Jeremy is already thinking of their future: How will we educate Carter and Peter and those to come?  Am I modeling the father I hope they become?  Do they know, because of who I am, rather than what I say, what is important in this earthly life?

There is no doubt in my mind the answers to those questions.  Jeremy lives for those little boys.  First and foremost, he loves and lives for God.  He cherishes and respects their mom.  And, there isn't anything he would not do for them...even if it is the hard things.

We are blessed to have such a long line of wonderful fathers and father figures, many of whom are never adequately "rewarded" for the role they have played and the unintended consequences of their every action.  Many of whom do what they do because of their calling and never for credit...but without them, where would we be today?  I shudder to think.

Fatherhood is no cake walk.  Beyond worrying about providing for a family financially, a lot rests on the shoulders of a dad.  It goes without saying the significance that a father plays in a child's life.  Fathers are called to provide a powerful witness to protecting and defending the sacredness of life while raising the God-given miracles of children. 

There are many demands on a father, but none more important than living and working to model the path to Heaven.

Thank you, Jeremy.  Thank you, Dad.  And, thank you, dads.

We are so very blessed!