The Great Men in My Life

God has blessed my life with great men—my husband, my dad, and my father-in-law. I know many people feel lucky to have just one good man in their lives. I’ve been given three. I am truly blessed.

A few years ago--sometime in 2019--I found myself in the ER with my husband who was suffering with a large kidney stone. While we were there, we heard a patient out in the hall shouting and going off on the doctors and nurses. My husband, lying in pain, turned to me and said, "If I was the doctor, I would order that guy an enema." 

 

I had to bust out laughing right there in the emergency room. That's my husband. Even in pain, he wants justice carried out. He never waivers. He is a rock. 

My dad was sweet, kind, and tender-hearted. His eyes had a deep softness that I still miss. He loved every sport but couldn’t fix a thing—though his gardens were pure magic. He had a way with babies and animals, both drawn to his gentle spirit. A die-hard Southern Baptist minister, he believed drinking was a sin and knew the Bible like the back of his hand. He was a highly educated, deep thinker who loved to study. He had strong opinions, and nothing could shake them. I lost my dad in March of 2013. One of his favorite scriptures was:

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 1:4

My father-in-law, on the other hand, can build or fix anything. He is retired now, but before that he was an incredibly hard-working grocery store owner who instilled his work ethic in his four sons. He is a lifelong learner with a flexible, curious mind. He loves to dive into conversations most people avoid—religion, politics, money—and after a good, honest debate, he’s even willing to change his mind because he is flexible in his thinking. He loves the outdoors, smoking cigars, sipping whiskey and he especially cherishes time with the people he loves. 

He and my mother-in-law have taught me so much about loving people as they are, not as we wish they’d be.

There could be no three dads more different than my husband, my dad and my father-in-law. When I line them up side by side, it’s almost comical how different they are! And yet, each in their own way, they’re amazing fathers. As different as can be—but each deeply rooted in faith and love and it is what they share that is most important. 

Thank you, Lord, for blessing my life with great men. Thank you for the legacy they are passing down to their children and grandchildren.