Father's Day - Hmm, did I miss it?

Father's Day is nonexistent in our household. Since both our fathers are no longer around, no one in either family celebrates it. Unlike Mother's day, there's no family gatherings, no fancy meals, no mention of it. The only call we get is the reminder to visit the grave site.

Sunday after church we went directly to the cemetery to visit my father-in-law with my inlaws Afterwards we were invited to their house to hang out, only to hear, "We ain't got no food." at 6:00. Hey, I can take a hint! So we left. On the way home we thought about stopping at a restaurant, but one kid was asleep while another was having a meltdown. We had no choice but to rush home and eat leftovers.

Hmm, so what else did I do this Father's Day weekend? Did I get to go play tennis? No. Instead I did fatherly things like move furniture, change the oil, and install a motion light. Good thing we fellowshipped with friends at church both Saturday and Sunday, or else the weekend would've been a total crapfest.

As you can tell, life as a father can be quite miserable if you selfishly focus on all the things you "should've" had but didn't get, like steak dinner, honorable children, worshipful wife, etc. But I've learned to lower my expectations and just be content with the life I'm stuck blessed with.

All kidding aside, I love my family regardless of how often I want to wring the boys' necks. These are the challenges that make my fatherhood unique. Would I rather have someone else raise my kids or raise theirs instead? Maybe. But at the end of a horrible day, when I look into Justine's eyes, or see the boys peacefully sleeping, all my troubles seem to melt away and I'm thrilled that they are all mine. Fatherhood is all about patience, understanding, and trying harder the next day. And thanks to my patience, I finally got my steak dinner tonight :) It's great being a dad!!