From the day that my parents got pregnant with me, they were both excited. The photos I’ve seen show that to be true, but more than that, as I grew through the years my dad set so many great examples in my life. While no dad is perfect, as I became an adult, I learned that most parents try to do their best. Especially now, I have a relationship with him that is more like the times that I’ve always cherished the most.
BEING AVAILABLE
My dad and I love talking with other people. We thrive on engaging with others and both of us love and respect people. So, since as long as I can remember, I have loved the times when my dad spent time talking with me. He was so good sharing with me when I had questions, and trust me when I say I had A LOT of questions. No matter what, he ALWAYS stopped what he might be doing to chat with me.
Often, after we were close to the end of family dinner, I would ask him deep questions ever since I was young. I often asked him about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, all sorts of parts of the Bible, and also about the horrible things that exist in the world. What often happened next was that my dad would respond to every part of what I asked, and he always showed me the scriptures to read over, to think about and to come back and let me know what I thought. While you may think the conversations were easy . . . they were not.
My dad and I would stay at that table or sometimes shift over to the living room, talking for literally 3 to 4 hours. This made me feel loved, seen, heard and cherished. However, it wouldn’t be until my adulthood and even more so when I became a parent that I realized how many nights my dad must have stopped for hours when he might have been exhausted. He never brushed me off to take care of other things, when I wanted to have a conversation. If that wasn’t enough, my dad and I would often walk by the marina by where we lived and walk by the ocean and the pathways, people watching, enjoying the weather and talk, talk, talk about whatever he or I had on our minds.
Now, I cherish my conversations with him even more, and I don’t think we ever stop talking less than an hour each time. I love how similar we can be in that way and how much we have in common. My dad has always helped me to gain so much wisdom about following God and why, not just by what I asked, but he’s always been an open book. That made me see our Creator as the best God ever, which He is, and even when life has been difficult I know that my dad and I can discuss anything. All of that is also why I love the Lord so very much, trust Him completely and will discuss with him every day. Thanks Dad!
SACRIFICE
My dad, as well as my mom, grew up poor and wanted more in life as adults. More importantly, that meant talking a lot whether it was difficult or not. Sometimes I had to get through to my dad or he had to get through to me, but eventually we get there. While I knew that when my grandpa was on this side of Heaven, my dad’s father and he would talk on the phone or whenever he was available in person. Maybe my dad learned that from his father, but whatever he learned from grandpa or from his experiences, talking things out is something I truly cherish with others.
Now, I started this part about my parents being poor. The benefits of that to me and my sister were many. My parents always did everything they could for us, no matter what, to the best of their abilities. We lived in an apartment that was safe with a good school, and then, my dad was able to get us a house by the beach in another state and we loved living there. Owning a house was something that took sacrifice in so many ways for him, but he did that, for all of us.
I know that my dad learned sacrificing as he grew up, but I’m so glad that he does that. His sacrifices confirmed even more why God sacrificed His Son so we could live with Him in Heaven and have Him with us, while we are here. While I know that many people struggle with even the concept of God, my dad and I both love to read the Bible, books about the Lord and all the various parts that impact our lives, but Jesus was sacrificed for our own salvation. My dad has had to train me in so many ways that had to be a sacrifice when it was hard on me, but if it wasn’t for what my dad has done in my life, I wouldn’t be the person that I am . . . a woman of strength, convictions, love, wise, and so much more. Thanks, Dad!
FAMILY
As a family, since my parents hadn’t gone on vacations growing up, we had amazing summers. Life was always fun during that season while at home, but every summer we went on vacations. Sometimes it was close by and often it was also far away. Almost always we drove and camped, while we went to most of the east coast and other states beyond.
Little did I know how much sacrifice was a part of those times, when my dad was the bread winner and we went on amazing vacations: Hershey Park, Disney World, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, several countries in Canada, and every place we traveled to were so fun. Later, I realized that camping was my dad’s way of saving money to go to places so we could experience trips that he and my mom never got to see and do, and we loved camping. It was always an adventure, meeting so many new people and so many locations of beauty and information, as well as learning how different people talk from state to state. I don’t remember ever not having a vacation each summer and to this day, I know what a gift that is.
Another part of the family life was that music and dancing have always been a part of our Puerto Rican culture. So, when it was time to wake up, I still remember my dad waking me up with the song, “Rise, and shine and give God the glory, glory! Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory! Rise and shine, and give God the glory, glory! Children, of the Lord!” By the end of that, we were definitely up and out of bed, though sometimes he had to do a 2nd round.
I loved watching him dance with my mom in the kitchen. I loved the music playing in our home and when we were outside our home. My dad has always been a great singer, as is my sister and me and having that commonality has made me so thankful for music, especially with how it impact others and definitely me. Thanks, Dad!
GRACE
My dad and I have had so many great times and we still do, even though we are miles apart. However, that has always taken a lot of grace. Since we are Christians, we understand the purpose of grace and how much God gives every person in life grace, even when they don’t want to believe He exists. However, my dad taught me about grace so many times with who he is and I’ve learned grace, from both my dad and my Heavenly Father. There will be hard times. There will be scary times. There will be hateful times. However, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE and a HUGE HEAP OF GRACE always is what I try to give as I’ve seen my dad do the hard things including giving grace and even admitting his own issues, as we all have. But, what I love the most about my dad is that he’s always real, always true and always loving to a fault. Thanks, Dad!
SACRIFICE, FAMILY & GRACE
It’s also how I am who I am, in addition to following the Lord’s ways. While there are so many hard things in this world, I cherish having my dad around for as long as he lives. While he and I love sharing the great things we can enjoy in this word, as well, I’m also grateful he is my dad.
I know that you sacrificed when I had to do the hard things on my own. Thank You!
I know that I love family, whether by birth or by meeting people I am meant to call “framily” (friends/family), and I love first whenever I possibly can.
I am also still learning about grace, but I’m doing my best. May I always try my best and hopefully be understood in my attempts.
Dad, keep loving others as you do and always learning like we both do. Keep enjoying life to the fullest, and know that having you in my life has been and always will be a gift to me. ❤️ Father’s Day! Te quiero mucho! ❤️
Rachel's Reflections 