The dad in their family is an enigma to me. I do not understand this man. I can't comprehend his motivations, his actions or his reactions. There is no outward hostility or rudeness, but his personality is so quiet, so reserved and so...different than anything that I'm used to that the last few days have been very difficult. They interact with bursts of unpleasantness, and there is a lot going on that we just do not understand. The tension has be palpable between my friend and her husband, the husband and kids and sometimes between me and him. After trying and trying to engage him in conversation, I'm just started smiling and nodding.
Me. Not talking. HARD.
I won't go into details, but suffice to say that I have found this man's biggest gift to be that he helps me appreciate your dad in many ways that I have taken for granted. Not necessarily in any order...
- I love the way your father does the dishes. When needed and when asked.
- The way he smiles all the time.
- The way he says, "Great job! I'm so proud of you." and means it. I love the encouragement we get every day.
- The way he talks and tries to communicate with us.
- That he loves to cook. That he was jealous that my friend made pancakes with you guys.
- His consistency in the way that he cares for us.
- His JOY.
- As a mom, I love the way he guards and protects my private time. Right now I asked for a few minutes to write and he's making sure I get it. This is huge. A few minutes in the shower, in the toilet, at the sewing table, on the phone- unless I hear a scream and a "Kristi! We need you!" I know he's got it all under control.
- I love the way he parents. The way he LOVES being your father. And how much it shows.
So for today, we're going to get ready for the next snow storm and I'm going to add my friend and her family to our nightly "thank you" list.
And I'm going to go make out with your dad.
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