Okay, so yes it is Father's Day, so perhaps this is a repetitive post. We see all over Facebook and Instagram, the channels that share our world with others, moments in our friends lives captured still by a frame and shared to thank their Fathers for everything they have done for them. I know many an amazing father's in my life, some older, some younger, some single, some married, some concrete, some abstract, and some of the most spiritual nature. We see these pictures, and in our own way, we know the amount of love that builds that frame.
I am so happy I got to see my father and grandfather today. The older I get the more I cherish theses moments I have, regardless of length, with the people that make up my heart. I truly believe that a man makes the family, and as I look back on my life, I realize how important this really is.
The man of the house is not just a figure, but a role model, he is not just a provider, but a retriever. The man of the house is an enigma of selflessness, of sacrifice, and of love that is unlike anything else. A Fathers love, so different from a Mothers love but equally as potent. I am lucky, extraordinarily, for the father I grew up with, the father's that make up my life.
We start at the very beginning with two of the most intelligent, strong willed, gracious, faithful men I know. My grandfathers. These are the men that built the legacy that is our family. They are the men that brought me to my cousins every Christmas, every Easter, and every chance we could. My paternal grandfather, who planned, every year since I can remember, a summer family vacation. With cousins that lived so far away, these are some of the most amazing memories of my life. I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that I would not be who I am today without him. He gave me some of my best friends, found in my cousins. People that piece my heart together, people that support me, and people that I can't imagine my life without. My maternal grandfather, may he rest in peace, built this incredible legacy in his children who adore the person he raised them to be. He made sure that everyone was always laughing and that everyone was always well fed, not only with food, but with knowledge and history. He sustained on knowledge and loved sharing it with us.
It is such an easy act to see, the mirror that my grandfather holds to my own dad. As if he raised him in his image. I see my father and his willingness to sacrifice without hesitation, and without complaint. His strong providing nature, who knows I can take care of myself, but doesn't want me to always have to. I see a man I work to become more like everyday. Who strives for greatness in everything he does, and who stands up for what he believes in. I see a man who has not only built a family, but sustained it, held it in good times and in bad, who has pushed us to our potential, and helped us realize our worth. A man who is truly selfless, has given me everything, and I don't mean materialistically, I mean spiritually, intellectually, and mentally. He has given me what I needed to be the best version of myself, and when I was the worst version of myself, still loved me anyway.
We all have our own stories, triumphs and success' to failures and misunderstandings. We see our lives differently than anyone else, which allows us to see the people in our lives differently than anyone else. For me, my family, my cousins, my best friends? They make up my heart, they are each a puzzle in the madness I am certain is the ingredients that make me, me. My father, playing this integral role in every way has not only been a piece of my heart, but has held my heart.
There is a reason why they say the greatest love story is that between a daughter and her father. It is because he is the person who holds your heart when you are making mistakes, he is the one that teaches you about true love, in combination with our mothers, he is the one that proves that marriages and true love withstands the seemingly impossible. My father is the reason I will someday marry a great man, and the reason I will not settle for less. He is the reason my heart exists, and the reason I can continue to give it to people.
We will all make our mistakes, but each day we are given the gift of perspective. We are given the gift of retrospection. We are given the ability to look through our life, the people within it, and the people who have left it and see the impact of each. Who are the greatest men in your life? How have they made you into the person you are today?
The men of our houses are strong, they are resilient, they are more than a phrase or an idea. They are everything we need without needing anything at all in return.
