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| Hampa cheering on Joe at a wrestling meet. |
1) My dad. Or, Da-Doo as I first dubbed him when I was a teeny baby. Or, Hampa as his 10 (soon to be 11, when my nephew is born!) grandkids call him. This guy loves all things spicy and crazy. I'm talking Dave's Insanity Sauce, wild roller coasters, Tim Conway. He also knows every one of his 5 kids' favorite foods, books, movies, and jokes. To top that off, he knows all the same things about his grandkids! Dad is a regular at the local bakery and after his Saturday morning stop there, makes his rounds dropping off the goodies for all the grandkids. Yes, he delivers our Saturday morning doughnuts. Dad is our biggest cheerleader, eternal optimist, best comedian, and fiercest protector. He is the reason I chose such an awesome husband for myself and father for my kids.
2) Kyle. Or, Dad, Daddy, DaDa to our kids. Never a day goes by that this man doesn't make me smile and laugh. Nothing gives him greater joy than spending time with his kids and it plainly shows on his face. He is hugely biased in their favor and will not tolerate anyone (including me!) criticizing them. He's very much a sucker for his Princesses, while still remains a rough-and-tumble "cool guy" for his boys. He is unashamedly devout, sings in Church, and reminds all of us to pray regularly. He is my hero -- in every way.
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| Joe and his godson and brother |
3) My father-in-law. He gave my husband the perfect example Response Error.
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502 Bad Gateway - Response Error, a bad response was received from another proxy server or the destination origin server.of what a good husband should do, and isn't that the very best thing a father can do for his kids: love their mother? He is a brilliant man, who still tries to learn new things of all kinds and I admire that so very much. He is battling a debilitating neurological disease for which there is no treatment, and the humbleness with which he accepts this fact is inspiring. Please keep him in your prayers.
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| Killian and his goddaughter and sister |
4)Godfathers! Mine is long passed away, but I'm sure he prays for me still. Our family prays for our kids' godfathers, 2 of which are my 2 oldest kids! Killian is Faith's godfather and Joe is Will's godfather. In a large family, it is a special way for those older kids to have another connection to the babies of the family. Godfathers everywhere tend to get forgotten after the baptism is over, but their role is huge and we are so grateful for them!
5) Uncles! All tolled, my kids have 9 uncles: my 2 brothers and Kyle's 7 brothers. They are all equally insane and fun. Isn't that what an uncle should be?!
6) Father-figures. My kids are so blessed to have so many wonderful examples of good manhood in their lives. From the selfless religious education teacher my 3 oldest have had for their Confirmation I class to the many wonderful family friends we have, my kids can easily see the many good and different ways the Father's love is shown to them.
7) Priests! Kyle and I were so lucky to grow up having good priests around. Having a priest over for dinner or a "personalized" baptism or First Communion was the norm for us. My dad's childhood friend is a Colomban Missionary and he performed our wedding, 3 of my siblings' weddings, 2 baptisms, and 4 First Communions for us! My brother's good friend is a priest (a vocations director!) and my brother and his wife attended his ordination. My son Joe is currently in a program geared towards helping high school boys discern a calling to the priesthood. Mothers of priests have a guaranteed place in heaven, right? RIGHT?!?
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| Fr. Brendan giving Jack his First Eucharist |
What a beautiful tribute !
ReplyDeleteThank you! They are a bunch of great guys!
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