what a difference a father makes

At home, we've been hit with a lot of storms recently. We spent two different nights sitting in our basement shower with tornado warnings. The first one Bill was out of town. But all the rest of us, including the dogs, hunkered down. Tate was being "the man of the house", so he held it together on the outside, but Emma and Jack were freaking out. Emma was crying and asking, "Are we gonna die????". Jack wanted to sing songs for comfort, but literally moaned the words to "Jesus loves me" as he sang in lament. And, to be honest, I didn't feel so great myself.

Fast forward about one week. Bill was home and there was another tornado warning. And we were in the basement shower, yet again. This was the same storm system that went through the Boy Scout camp in Iowa. It was actually a more frightening situation. But, what were my kids doing? They were laughing and telling jokes. They were still scared (okay, and Mommy was too), but the mood was more peaceful. The second night was drastically different than the first and there's one simple reason why. Daddy was there.

What a difference a father makes. His presence calms fears and brings hope. It was true for my kids that night and it's true for me with my Father each day. Father's Day always reminds me that I don't have my Daddy anymore on this earth. But, as the years go by, I am learning more and more a beauty that God is my only Father now. And I am my Daddy's little girl.

Happy belated Father's Day!