Sunday Musings of the Spirit: 10 Things of Thankful: Father's Day Edition

I'm joining in on the second 10 Thankful Things blog hop, but because today is Father's Day, I've decided to write a Father's Day edition.

I'm thankful:

1.  My dad makes me feel important.  He is a retired junior high school teacher.  I remember going to his classroom and being allowed to write "lessons" on the chalkboard for the students.  Because of me (or so I thought), his students learned concepts such as big and little.

Yes, I'm feeling pretty important here.

2.  My dad introduced me to great music.  Not only did we listen to records by Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie,  The Irish Rovers, the Chad Mitchell Trio, and the Kingston Trio (to name a few), but we often spent evenings singing as a family, with Dad accompanying on the guitar.

3.  My dad encouraged my love of reading.  Of course, getting rid of the family television when I was 10 helped, but even before that time, we were surrounded by books.  Dad is a voracious reader.

4.  My dad taught me that knowledge conquers fear.  Each year, he would come to my elementary school classroom with Richard, a boa constrictor, and teach the kids (and teacher) that snakes are not slimy.  Then brave children would be allowed to touch Richard. 

5.  My dad taught me by example to study things out and follow my dreams.  He wanted to build an energy-efficient house, so he decided on a passive-solar design, and we became hobbits in our earth-sheltered home. 

6.  My dad taught me the importance of education.  He always said, "The worst thing I ever did was marry your mother---before she finished her college degree."  We kids knew he loved Mom, so we heard the message loud and clear that we needed to finish college.  

Also, he understood that children can learn far more than what society generally thinks they can.  He taught me the Latin names for the various critters we had.  Dad relates that I exclaimed in distress the following when I was about 3 years old:  "The Gerrhontus multicarinata ate the Uta stansburiana!"  Ever the teacher, he recently told me via e-mail:  "The 'Gerrhontus' may be misspelled, they have changed the genus name to something else. In common nomenclature, the alligator lizard ate the side blotched lizard."

7.  My dad trusted me to make good decisions.  Even though I got married before I graduated from college, he didn't hold it against me--although I'm pretty sure he was relieved when I did receive my diploma.

8.  My dad taught me optimism.  I remember him saying that movies always have happy endings.  (We generally watched Disney movies, but not Old Yeller.)  I learned that while there might be twists and turns in the plot, everything worked out OK in the end.

9.  My dad allowed me to pursue hobbies with him.  We joined a photography club together.  I helped him program our first computer, by reading line upon line of code to him.  We ran a 5K together.

10.  My dad values family.  He opened his home to his mom when she needed care at the end of her life, and currently is having his home remodeled to accommodate the needs of his mother-in-law.  

Happy Father's Day, Dad.  


Thanks for Dad, and for John's dad, and John. Thanks for my brother, and brothers-in-law, and daddy of my granddaughter. Thanks for all good fathers everywhere.


You might find my posts on these blog hops:

Sew Darn Crafty Party,  Find a Friend Friday, Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop, Show Your Stuff, The Wildly Original Link Party, Wow Us Wednesdays, Down Home Blog Hop, Tuesday Archive Link Up, Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River, Grandparents Say It Saturday
The Creative Home Acre Hop,  Best Blog Post Ever, Grand Social,
Crafty Garden Mama,
Let's Get Social Sundays
Freedom Fridays
Tuesdays with a Twist
Pattern Party 
All My Bloggy Friends
A Peek into My Paradise