Special to Dad…

You know, I can’t really say enough about my dad. Sure, when people think he’s too conservative, he’ll remind us that he did name his daughters after the Equal Rights Amendment. And he has one of the same guilty pleasures as his daughters, namely, much to Mom’s dismay and disgust, “The Simpson’s.” But who can complain about how a man sees it fit to name his children, and “The Simpson’s” is a fine show.

Right now, the benefit I am most cognizant of is that if Dad were not my dad, I would not be as good of a wife to Josh. Veterans are a breed of their own, and civilians really don’t understand them. I will never really understand my dad or my husband. However, after growing up in the house of a veteran, I am much more compassionate towards the needs my husband has as a service member.

I also don’t know how I would have gotten through the last twenty-and-a-half months had it not been for Dad. He made it through ‘Nam OK, not that he didn’t have a lot of problems because of his status as a Vietnam veteran, but because Dad is OK and has a good home life, it’s possible for Josh to come home and do the same.

I was reading the Preface to the Large Catechism. And I thought of my dad. Becky, HG, and I grew up listening to Dad talk about different theological issues. And before we became Lutherans, he still taught, probably unknowingly, in the same manner Martin Luther proposes in this preface, drill and repetition. I can tell you all about pruning, trees, reading orchestra notes, why it is a good idea to give blood, and a host of other things, and I can also tell you about their spiritual significance.

My Dad is a swell dad, and I wouldn’t be the same person without him.