This is my dad. He's a good man. Always serving, always working hard, and yet still (usually) managing to find the time to coach his kid's little league games, or attend our concerts and sporting events.
My dad pushes himself hard, too hard, and sleep is always the first thing he sacrifices. Do you know that for a few years he drove kids in our ward to 5:45 a.m. seminary when none of his own kids needed a ride? He goes to bed late and is up at the crack of dawn--or before--nearly ever day. Consequently, he falls asleep anytime he's allowed to sit still for a few minutes. I'd swear he spends more time sleeping in various chairs around the house than he ever does in his own bed! We tease him about it, but the only reason it happens at all is because he spends more time on others than he ever would on his own needs.
My dad is strong. He was a collegiate athlete--a pitcher for BYU's baseball team. He never has time to exercise now, and yet he's stronger than both of my adult brothers (sorry guys!) and used to easily be able to beat them in a foot race. Too bad I didn't inherit that gene...
My dad loves animals. The only time I've ever seen him cry during a movie or when reading a book is when an animal dies. We always had a mini zoo of pets at our house. Cats, dogs, tortoises, fish, frogs, a snake, mice, crayfish, and more that I can't even remember! I also have this memory of when I was a small child going with him to some animal clinic while he volunteered. My mom doesn't really like pets, so the fact that we had any (not to mention so many!), says something about how much my father loves them.
If my dad could have done anything in life, he would have been a pilot. He's been reading books and magazines on flying since before I can remember. Instead he became a businessman, and now owns a franchise. Maybe someday he'll learn to fly...
My dad has a great sense of humor, and is always quick to tease. If he likes you, he'll tease you. He was that dad who told guys who called my house that I was in jail, or that I'd said I didn't want to talk to them, or that they had the wrong number, all the while silently laughing with a huge grin on his face while they stammered and tried to figure out if he was serious. It used to drive me crazy!
He also is one of those men that seems to know everything about everything. "Dad, what kind of bird is that?" And he'd know. "What kind of plant is that?" And he'd know. "How does that work?" And he'd know! He almost always fixed our cars by himself--if he didn't already know how to do it, he'd figure it out. He did all the fix-it jobs around the house. We once went on a cross-country road trip (before dvds), and he built and set up this crazy contraption that held both a small tv/vcr AND a super nintendo, all of which fit over the cooler of snacks. That was mainly an act of self-preservation, I'm sure (4 kids in a car for two weeks!), but we sure loved it. I can still ask him about almost anything and he'll know at least something about it. He just retains knowledge!
This is getting too long. I'll try to finish up, though I could go on at great length.
One last story...
I've always had great respect for my dad, though as a teenager he and I used to clash a little bit (I wasn't rebellious, our personalities were just a little too similar: determined, independent, and convinced that we were always right). He taught me a lot about the gospel, especially about following the spirit of the law. I was, and largely still am, a letter of the law kind of gal. We had very strict rules around our house growing up, and I have very strict rules in my house now. No PG-13 movies whatsoever. No tv on sunday. Stay dressed up in your church clothes all day on Sunday. Never miss a church meeting/activity if you can possibly help it. You get the idea. Most of that stuff isn't specifically required by the church, but it's what we did as a family, and I still do it because I honestly feel like doing so helps me to be better and focus more on my Savior.
In any case, one Sunday morning I came downstairs, all ready for church, and found my dad in jeans and a t-shirt, about to walk out the door. What the?! Shocked, I asked where he was going. To help a neighbor move. A neighbor we didn't even really know, but who needed some help. He missed church that day to help him, and I've never forgotten it. It might seem like a little thing, but to me it was huge. It taught me an extremely important lesson about doing as the Savior would have done. Is it important to follow the letter of the law? Absolutely. But the spirit of the law? The spirit that guides us to help another person and do good works? That's vital.
So thanks, Dad! Thanks for being such a good example, for always being someone I could trust and rely on, and for being someone whose company I could always enjoy! I love you!
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