Happy Birthday Dad~

In thirty minutes it will be dad's birthday....sitting recalling so many memories~  He gave me many things...none of them that I hold dear were anything material...nothing I can hold or look at...but many that I have in my heart.  He gave me a strong sense of right and wrong.....he gave me a compassion for others...dad gave me a sense of duty...he taught me what a man of integrity looked like and he lived daily doing unto others...for all these things I thank him.  He helped shape me into the person that I have become and made me the parent that I am today.  He taught me how to listen and how to have patience....He gave me a strong faith in the Lord and lived it out for others around him to see.  Even in the end when he was in constant pain; he never complained.  He would make jokes about his condition...about his amputation....to put us at ease.  He would tell us that he didn't blame God for any of his ailments...and he told everyone in those last days what a "blessed man" he was.....but really it was those that knew him that were blessed by him.  I will always carry you in my heart and love you....