Through Her Eyes

When I sat down to write a post for Father's Day, I began to think of all the things I wanted to say about my husband and the wonderful father he is to our children.  I realized that I couldn't think of a better way to describe him than my daughter did in a poem she wrote this Christmas.  
She was seven.

Avery's class was working on a poetry unit, and they were given the assignment to write an “I Am” poem from the perspective of someone they loved.  She chose her dad.  She was given the first two words in each line, and she came up with the rest. 

Dad

I am a dad who is funny, kind and works hard.
I wonder how old I will live to be.
I hear horses neighing.
I see my children growing quickly.
I want my children to do the right thing.
I am a dad who is funny, kind, and works hard.

I pretend I am in my own Neverland.
I feel happy when we are all together.
I touch the horses dirty hoof.
I worry about not making enough money for my family.
I cried when Grandad died.
I am a dad who is funny, kind and works hard.

I understand when my children are upset.
I say I miss Grandad.
I dream about being in my own Neverland.
I try to be kind.
I hope I make enough money.
I am a dad who is funny, kind and works hard.

Every time I read that poem I cry.  She gets it.  She gets him. 

I’m so thankful to be married to a man who is “funny, kind, and works hard.” A man that I can trust with my life, and the lives of my children. 

A pastor once said, “Respect means showing your husband that you trust that he has the best intentions for your family.”  Avery looks at her daddy, and she sees that he does.  She knows it.  Her respect for him is unconditional.

I can be difficult.  Unforgiving.  Unkind.  Committed to defending my idea of how the plastic bowls are supposed to be organized in the dishwasher.  This Father’s Day, I am inspired to see the big picture, my husband as he really is.  A man who dies to self every day as he gets up to go to work to take care of us.  Who smiles at the end of a long day and takes the kids out to ride their bikes.  A man who might forget the way I like things organized in the kitchen, but who doesn't forget to tell me or the kids how much he loves us. 

It has been said that through the eyes of a child you will see the world as it should be.  Sometimes, through the eyes of a child, you see the world as it is.