On the 21st my dad turned 51! I don't even know where to begin with all the things I want to say about my dad. He is the best man I know. He's worked so hard to provide for his family. When I was little, he worked 3 jobs to put food on the table, while being a husband and a father of 5, and being involved in the church. Obviously I was young and now don't remember a whole lot from those days, but I'm sure he did it without a single complaint. He's always, always, always worked hard to provide for his family. That's one thing I respect him so much for.
Us back in 1990 :)
He doesn't speak unkindly about people. And I've never heard people speak unkindly about him. One time I was talking about this girl and how I thought she was weird. My dad said, "We don't know what she's been through." After he said that one simple sentence I remember feeling so awful that I never wanted to talk badly about anyone ever again.
Back in the day when he traveled for work he sent me this post card. I
was two. I found it about a year ago and it brought a smile to my face.
One time his car was in the shop getting fixed. I was going into work and he needed to go in too so he drove in with me. The whole time he was critiquing my driving. He pointed out every little thing I should have been doing or not doing. He was being overly obnoxious. When we pulled into the parking lot he said, "I'm never driving with you again", with a smirk on his face. I busted up laughing because he knew that's exactly what I was thinking.
When I was about 16, I started writing this list of life goals. I left the paper on the kitchen table and came back to find that my dad had finished the list for me. . . If you know me at all, every goal he wrote is something I would have never wanted to do. That funny man :)
He treats my mom with so much respect and love. A while ago I was straightening up our storage room, and I found a bunch of cute notes he had written for my mom. Some of them were from when they first got married, some were from after all of us kids were born, and some were pretty recent. It was so sweet to see that he's always been so in love with my mom.
Us at a daddy daughter church activity.
Us at a daddy daughter night my elementary school put on back in 1996 :)
A few months ago he took me to lunch. The whole time he asked me questions about my life, which isn't unusual. He always asks about my life; how I'm doing, my plans, my thoughts, my friends, my feelings. Our conversations are never about him. The only time he really talks about himself is if he had an experience that relates to what I've got going on in my life. He knows so much and learns from his experiences. I wish I could keep all that knowledge in a jar and carry it with me.
Us looking for Easter eggs, back in the day at Grandma and Grandpa Linnell's :)
One thing I'm so grateful for about my dad is his testimony and love for the gospel. When I was in elementary school I remember I had to interview my parents. I asked him what his favorite book was. He replied, "The Book of Mormon." I thought that was so weird and didn't understand why he couldn't have just said a 'normal' book. I didn't want to write it down. It was for school, not for church. However, I've learned that the gospel is my dad's life. He knows what's important. Yes, other books are educational and teach important lessons, but in the scheme of things, The Book of Mormon is the most important book we could ever read. My dad has an eternal perspective. He sees the big picture, not just the here and now.
Happy birthday dad! Thanks for always being an amazing example to me. I love you!
