Father's Day: A Celebration of Simplicity

My grandma disliked holidays, especially days like Christmas when people got so wrapped up in the day that they forgot the people.  I, on the other hand, love holidays.  They give me an outlet for my craftiness and creativity.  Place cards, banners, creative cakes and themed décor fill my Pinterest page and craft room leading up to any big day.

On Father's Day, we make cards and t-shirts for the dads and grandpas in our family.  That's where the craftiness stops for Father's Day and I like the holiday for just that reason.  After all of the craziness of Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve (our son's gotcha celebration), our anniversary, Easter, and a multitude of birthdays that carry us up to Father's Day, I'm ready for the low-key event that my husband and step-dad crave.  All they want on Father's Day is a day of rest and we can do that well.  Generally, we find ourselves fishing at a pond on the farm or picnicking at the park.  It's an enjoyable day when they can connect with the kids and we can all find pleasure in the simplicity of the afternoon breeze, the laughter of the kids and a quiet conversation.

Here are some other fun, simple activities for Father's Day (many can be done at home):

• host a mini-golf tournament
• take Dad to a sporting event
• attend a car show
• watch a movie or five (at home or the theatre)
• give Dad the day off and do his chores while he rests
• make breakfast in bed for Dad
• go swimming
• take a walk or bike ride down a local trail

Whatever you choose, make sure Dad (or Grandpa) knows that you love and care about him!

A Father's Day Blessing

Our life has been crazy lately.  I say that as if there has been a time when it hasn't been crazy.  Recently, my husband has been putting in long hours at work, the kids have been going stir crazy trying to get their school work complete, and we are gearing up for a busy summer.  We stepped out in faith a few months back and committed my husband and our oldest daughter to going on a mission trip to Taiwan, feeling led to do so but uncertain about having the funds.  In an attempt to grow my home-based business, I also registered for a convention that I have always wanted to attend but never been able to squeeze in.  As with most of what we do (we can always do better), we have been prayerful and sought to do God's will in these two matters specifically.  


This past week was especially busy, adding Vacation Bible School to our schedule.  We may have had all of about five hours together as a family in the entire week.  Yesterday, the kids and I made a special breakfast for my husband and we got ready for church as usual.  As we were getting ready to leave, I pulled my husband aside and told him we could stay home and do Bible study.  He looked so worn down and this was a rare Sunday when we had no obligations at church.  We each took our shoes off and went into the living room to talk to the kids.  When the girls saw us, they immediately asked what was going on and pleaded to go to church.  We looked at each other, put our shoes back on and headed out the door.  How could we say no?  Because my husband was on call, he drove his truck to church and the kids and I went in our car.


The sermon was inspiring as always.  Teaching from Acts 5, it was a somber message about the apostles who were so bold in their faith that they preached constantly in spite of being threatened, imprisoned, and beaten.  My husband and I pray for that boldness in our daily lives.  Something that our pastor said during the sermon was that we should not feel guilty when we are blessed.  We should feel responsible, just as the apostles did.  I liked that enough to jot it in my sermon notes.  There are so many areas of our lives where we are blessed, but one delicate area is our finances.  While we are feeling the strain of my husband's long work hours, we are also feeling the blessing of a couple of slightly larger pay checks and want to be responsible with that little extra.  It is helpful because he works on commission and we have some large bills to pay at the moment in addition to some smaller paychecks in our near future when my husband goes on the mission trip.


We left service and met up again at a restaurant to have a Father's Day lunch with my parents.  When my husband arrived, he handed me an envelope that someone had placed on his truck during church. Our names were written on the outside and inside was a letter with 2 gift cards.  The letter said:

Your Heavenly Father listens and hears your prayers.  HE has given you these Visa gift cards to be used.  HE will continue to hear your prayers and HE wants you to know HE passionately loves you beyond your comprehension.  Continue to listen to HIM for guidance in how HE wants to work through you both to further HIS kingdom.

I just about fell over.  The amount in the envelope was an odd amount - exactly enough to pay some specific bills that we had been discussing a few days earlier!  For a moment, my mind wandered to the others in our church who needed money for various reasons.  Then I remembered the note I had written during service: When you are blessed, don't feel guilty.  Feel responsible.  We are currently praying through how to spend this money responsibly.  Although it matches the amount we needed, we want to verify that we are acting according to God's will. 


We are thankful for our daily blessings from God, and we are especially thankful for this amazing Father's Day blessing.  We give all of the glory to God and pray that our testimony will grow the faith of others.




But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. Jeremiah 17:7

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads and father figures!  I am blessed to have an amazing Grandpa who took me under his wing when I needed a dad and a wonderful husband who is the best daddy to our daughters!