Father’s Day 2015 is Sunday, June 21st.

That means … it’s this Sunday!

Is it me or is this year flying by?

I hope you get the opportunity to celebrate with your father this weekend. Whether it’s with a hug, a card, a phone call, a visit – whatever expression of love you wish to give, I’m sure your father will appreciate it.

Missing My Dad

If, like me, your father has passed on, it’s still a special time to remember.

My father was my hero.

It’s hard for me to write this without shedding some tears.

I have so many fond memories etched in my mind. I was blessed to have my father in my life and I thank God for him.

My father was strong, affectionate, and enthusiastic. He loved to laugh and was always interested in what was going on in my life and the lives of others. He was hard-working and athletic and I looked up to him like no other. Can you tell I was his No. 1 fan?

Father’s Day 2015 – Looking Back

Here’s just a few nostalgic thoughts from the past.

It didn’t matter whether I was telling him about something really important or, as a child, about the tadpoles that I had just caught in the creek behind our house. My father had this special way of making me feel like I was the most important person in the room. I believe that’s a God-given gift.

I remember that he would hold my hand during the Blue Angel’s air shows in Pensacola, Florida. As the mighty jets soared over our heads in precise formation, I would grip his hand tighter and he would beam with Navy pride.

Encouragement Is So Important

My father was also an encourager. In high school, I needed that assurance. I excelled on the track team, but failed miserably when it came to talking to boys. I was painfully shy. In my freshman year, my high school held a Sadie Hawkins dance. That’s where the girls ask the boys. Horrors!

How would I ever get up enough courage to ask a boy to go out on a date? The thought had me tossing and turning a few nights.

My father used to drive me to school every day and he could tell one morning that I had something big on my mind.

I told him about the dance and insisted that no boy would ever want to go with me. Dad said with his big smile, “Any boy should be PROUD to go with you” and then he proceeded to assure me that everything would be alright. I’ll never forget it.

He was the most encouraging person I’d ever met.

p.s. His pep talk worked and I did end up going to the dance 🙂

I remember that my father never hesitated to say how much he loved me or that he was proud of me after one of my accomplishments.

I loved that he was the first to stretch out his arms for a big hug whenever I would come home from college on a long weekend.

My Hero

My father was a hero in the military too.

He was an honored flight surgeon and we found out years later that he had performed emergency, life-saving, brain surgery on a soldier while on board a ship. He saved lives and I appreciate and respect his service to our country.

I was devastated when he lost his battle to Alzheimers in 1988. As painful as his death was, I knew that he was no longer suffering and was in God’s hands. I’m looking forward to that reunion more than I can say.

Dad, you’re always in my thoughts, but especially this Sunday as our country celebrates Father’s Day. I love you and miss you every day.

Giving you a happy high-five!