The Road to Recovery

The road to recovery has never been an easy one. If it was easy, we would not appreciate and learn from the hardships in life. I am a firm believer that God allows trials in our life in order to shape us into the people that he wants us to become. He is the potter, I am the clay. Sometimes this means adding moisture, sometimes taking away. Sometimes it means speeding up the wheel, and sometimes it means slowing it down...And yes, it even sometimes means starting all over again. The past nine months have not been easy. People have gone out of my life that I thought would always be a part of it, and over time I've learned to accept and deal with it. I've had to face some of those 'grown-up' issues that make you wish you were just a naive five year old again. I am constantly reminded, or reminding myself, that God does not give us more than we can handle, but as humans we sometimes put more on ourselves than we can handle.

Today is father's day. My heart is broken for those who have lost their fathers recently, or at a young age, being cheated out of so many life long memories. For you - I pray that you can hold onto the memories and times when you were most happy with your dad.

In the same way, my heart aches for the fathers who have lost their children. A parent should never have to say goodbye to their child. For these dads, hold onto the memories that make your heart smile.

My heart aches for those who still have fathers on this earth, but their relationships are tattered. Perhaps because they don't feel that they can be perfectly honest with each other, or too many things have gone unsaid that should be.

My heart aches for those who never knew their real fathers or had a father figure in their life to help shape them into who they are today.

My dad is not perfect. He is not always right. He is not always in a good mood. He does however live by the golden rule - and treats everyone how he would want to be treated, and most of the time better. Sometimes it frustrates me, in a selfish way...to see how he goes out of his way for others, putting himself last. Willing to give you the shirt off his back. He would go above and beyond for anyone he knows, family, friends, and even strangers. He is a peace maker and finds the good in everyone, even if it is only a tiny speck. He forgives seven times seventy. He is a hard worker, sometimes we all agree that he works too hard. When I was little, I was definitely a "Daddy's Girl". He is still the one that I go to for help when my car or house gives me trouble, when I need to hang a picture on the wall, or when I need weed and feed put on the lawn... and yes, at twenty-seven years old, when I need a shoulder to cry on he is there. (Although I admit my mother has to deal with that last one way more often - I don't like to cry in front of my dad.)

Today I am thankful for a Christian father who taught me the value of hard work, family, and of my heavenly Father. I am thankful for a man who always tries to do what is right. I am thankful for someone who is willing to keep others happy, even if it means disappointment or hurt for himself. If God lined up 100 men and told me to pick my dad, I could not have hand picked a better one.