Grateful Monday

We were gone on Friday--more on that later--so today, Grateful Monday.

I'm grateful for fathers.

I'm old enough to have a lot to be grateful for from my dad.  I have a whole lifetime of him being there when I needed him, his wisdom and wit, him fixing everything that needed fixing.  I'm grateful that I get all those things from him still.  When we were there a few weekends ago, my classroom stapler that had been broken was sitting on the counter for me to take home.  He'd fixed it.

Olivia took this picture of my parents recently:

I love how happy they are together.  The way my dad treats my mom and always has treated her is a lot to be grateful for.  He taught me what to expect and look for in a husband.

I'm grateful for Adam's dad, Linn.  We miss him.  Adam's sister posted this collection of pictures of him on Facebook yesterday:

I'm grateful for what he taught Adam and the example of goodness he was to me.  I'm grateful for the kind of grandpa he was and the relationships he forged with his grandchildren.  I'm grateful for him present tense too though.  I know he is aware of us.  I know he is proud of his children and grandchildren and I know he'd love to sit down with them and hear their big ideas.  He'd love to take them all on a bike ride or for a swim.  He'd love Anna with her red hair!  I'm grateful for the eternal nature of families and the knowledge I have that we will be together again.

I'm grateful for Adam.  I love remembering the way he used to read to our kids and the world he introduced them to.  He's alway provided an anchor for all of us.  As our children have grown, they don't need to be swung up onto his strong shoulders when they are tired, but they still need him.

He is the go to person when any of us are in a jam.  He has perfected the process of changing Mark's sensor and keeping his diabetic supplies ordered.  He listens to Mark's recounting of things that I for sure can't follow.  He talks about music and French with Emma.  He teaches her Finnish because she loves languages.  He talks politics and governments with Braeden.  He doggedly works hard to provide all the things for all of us.  He calls us together for scripture reading and prayer.

I'm grateful to my Heavenly Father for organizing us into families.  The world needs good fathers.