However, once we got married, the dancing did not seem to happen as often. He often complained of his hip hurting after doing so. He would jokingly tell me, "Why do you think I got married so soon? I knew my hip was giving out on me."
Well, even with a "bad hip", occasionally he surprises all of girls (me, Ariel and Cecily) and he will put on the music ,and take turns dancing with all of us. And yes, we are still swayed across the room. The girls love it too. It's a little trickier with them being so much shorter, but Mike somehow seems to still do it. Let me just say, I have to fight the girls for a dance with my dear husband. Last night, Mike surprised us all by putting on the music and dancing with us. He must have danced with us for a good hour taking turns with each of us. And again, the girls kept trying to cut in on my dance card. It was so sweet watching my girls dancing with their daddy. Their eyes looking up at their daddy--told a story of its own.
Which leads to my next point: He is absolutely the best father in the world. The Lord could not have given me a better match. He is patient, loving and understanding. I love this man and seem to love him more as each day passes. The girls adore him. He has always been a very "hands on" dad. From day one, he changed diapers, gave baths, read stories, and of course PLAYED--he is a kid at heart. If the girls are sick, he is up with them too.
He loves our girls and that is such a wonderful blessing for me. I've mentioned before that I never knew my real dad. That is one void, that although I don't focus on very often, still leaves a hole in my spirit. Having said that, I don't want to take anything away from or disrespect the man whom became what I refer to as "my dad" today (this would be my step dad who was brave enough to marry a woman with two 10 yr. old daughters. He is another great man who I will always be grateful to. He helped shaped me into the very person I am today.) However, I always wondered what it would have been like to be a little girl who had a dad that really loved her and would do anything for her, and I'm so grateful that my girls can say they know what that feels like.
Our girls are definitely DADDY'S GIRLS--no doubt. I often joke that if ever they had to pick which one to save, it would be dad. They both fight over who will take care of Dad when he is "old", and they both have a special bond with their dad that is hard to explain. Each one different, but with the same unconditional love. It takes my breath away sometimes just to watch it.
They both want him to be proud of them too. Last week, I tried all day to get Cecily to practice the piano without success, and then Mike comes home and tells her , "will you play the piano for Daddy? I love to hear you play." What does Cecily do, run to the piano and excitedly plays and now she wants to play every night for Daddy. I love it. It really warms my heart in no way that I can express.
I'm definitely not one of those women who can have their husband gone for long periods of time for work. We are grateful to have him home by 5:15pm just about every night. A few years ago, Mike had to go to San Fransico for a week for training and the girls cried every day. Can I just say that was the longest week of our life. We could not wait for him to come home.
He is wonderful. I wish every child could have a dad like him, and I'm sad that not every child does.
He is also a great husband. He really is. He is the true definition of help mate. He is not afraid to do dishes, cook, clean (although I have banned him from the laundry. LOL). He comforts me when I'm sad, he never judges (except when I cut my hair short. LOL), he always seems to know just the right thing to do or say to make me laugh (most people never see this side of Mike, but he is HILARIOUS), he inspires me to be more Christlike, he loves the Lord and will do anything for his family (trust me, he sold his '67 Mustang so he could take his girls to Disney World..How many men do you know would do that?), he is a hard worker, he is VERY SLOW to anger and tries to avoid contention, he has integrity and he is honest (if you don't want to really know the truth, then don't ask). I could keep going on and on about his many wonderful qualities, but I know he would be embarrassed if he knew I was writing this.
I am so blessed that I was at that church dance about 15 1/2 years ago, and that he asked me to dance---can I just say, he did not even give me a chance to say no, and I'm glad he didn't. Who would have known that all these wonderful blessings all began with a dance? When Mike danced with me last night, he put on the same song that we first danced too, and it brought back a lot of sweet memories. I really don't deserve him, but I'm glad he puts up with me! The best thing is knowing that we can be a Family Forever! In case you ever do read my blog Mike, ---Happy Father's Day, and thanks for being the greatest father any woman could ask to have for her children and for being a great partner for eternity, I Love You!
P.S. I want to get a good picture of him, but I don't have one on the digital camera. I'll try to get one tomorrow to post, because if I took one now, he would know I was up to something.
1 comment:
What a beautiful story! I remember dancing with my dad when I was little but I always stood on top of his feet! He was also a very good dancer and would sweep me across the floor. Thanks for sharing that story - it brought back a memory for me I'd forgotten. I know your girls will look back and cherish those moments forever!
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