Fathers, Manhood, and Bearing Up Under Burdens

When I was little, my sisters and I asked my dad to read us Harriet and the Roller Coaster before bed.

Every night.

For hundreds of nights.
Maybe thousands.

And every night, he would read it, and kiss us, and tuck us into bed.

The world talks much of personal expression, following your dreams, making sure that others do not trespass on your personal rights and privileges. It talks of satisfying your deepest longings, doing what makes you happy, and refusing to settle for anything less than what is best for you.

That kind of personal strength, which is willing to sacrifice anything and anyone who becomes an obstacle to true personal happiness, is a hoax. A terrible lie. And suffocating bondage.

And the toll that lie has taken on our men and fathers, and their families, is tremendous. (The toll, of course, is not limited to men. That's just the side I'm thinking about today.)

I'm so grateful I grew up with a daddy who showed us a different way. Us four little girls grew up with a true example of what manhood means.

Making sure Mom's car was always full of gas.
Paying the bills.
Showing up for work every day.
Showing up for supper most every night.
Showing up for church on Sundays (twice) and Wednesdays.
Showing up for our plays, ball games, and recitals.
Taking out the trash.
Making decisions for the good of others.
Serving at church.
Making us feel loved and secure.

There is a lot of thankless, tedious, dirty tasks and general hard work involved in responsible manhood. It's not a road for the faint of heart. And when the going gets tough, it becomes evident what fuel your service runs on. Is it some kind of personal agenda or satisfaction? Or is it drawing from the deep well of resources that God supplies?

I'm glad to be married to a man who commonly, daily, without fanfare bears up under burdens and bears us up too.

Happy Father's Day to the dads who have made such a difference to me!

Some other good thoughts on manhood and burdens.

Fathers, Manhood, and Bearing Up Under Burdens

When I was little, my sisters and I asked my dad to read us Harriet and the Roller Coaster before bed.

Every night.

For hundreds of nights.
Maybe thousands.

And every night, he would read it, and kiss us, and tuck us into bed.

The world talks much of personal expression, following your dreams, making sure that others do not trespass on your personal rights and privileges. It talks of satisfying your deepest longings, doing what makes you happy, and refusing to settle for anything less than what is best for you.

That kind of personal strength, which is willing to sacrifice anything and anyone who becomes an obstacle to true personal happiness, is a hoax. A terrible lie. And suffocating bondage.

And the toll that lie has taken on our men and fathers, and their families, is tremendous. (The toll, of course, is not limited to men. That's just the side I'm thinking about today.)

I'm so grateful I grew up with a daddy who showed us a different way. Us four little girls grew up with a true example of what manhood means.

Making sure Mom's car was always full of gas.
Paying the bills.
Showing up for work every day.
Showing up for supper most every night.
Showing up for church on Sundays (twice) and Wednesdays.
Showing up for our plays, ball games, and recitals.
Taking out the trash.
Making decisions for the good of others.
Serving at church.
Making us feel loved and secure.

There is a lot of thankless, tedious, dirty tasks and general hard work involved in responsible manhood. It's not a road for the faint of heart. And when the going gets tough, it becomes evident what fuel your service runs on. Is it some kind of personal agenda or satisfaction? Or is it drawing from the deep well of resources that God supplies?

I'm glad to be married to a man who commonly, daily, without fanfare bears up under burdens and bears us up too.

Happy Father's Day to the dads who have made such a difference to me!

Some other good thoughts on manhood and burdens.

For Dads

Here is a free PDF of Pastor Dad by Mark Driscoll.

Some good thoughts on what it means to shepherd the flock of God entrusted to you, in your home.

Happy Father's Day to Our Very Own Daddy

Dear Daddy,

I am still pretty little, but I am learning many, many things from watching you.

How to make funny noises
How to give Mommy lots of hugs and kisses
How to say, "My, my, my" when something is interesting
How to be tough and pick up big boxes (except I only push them around the floor)
How to say, "Amen!" at the end of prayer
How to eat M&Ms (Momma wasn't so sure bout that...)
How to sit quietly for prayer
How to eat lots of meat
How to pull the wagon

Someday, maybe I will be the one to be Daddy to a little boy, and I know those are very big shoes to fill.  Thanks for showing me how.  And thanks for showing me that God is the One who helps you.

I love you,
Victor

Father's Day Hike

We celebrated Father's Day with Pop-Pop by enjoying a walk around Lake Harriet with the Kattersons.

 Six kids (plus one on the way) in a wagon, two strollers, and an Ergo ... it was a fun adventure, and the Lord kindly kept the rain away until we were just loading the vans for home.

We love you, Pop-Pop!

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Happy Father's Day, Dad!  I love you!

This is for you...

Reminiscing About Christmas

The rest of Christmas week held more sweet times.

A few more days with the full Katterson crew...

A very cuddly little bear

I love, love the scrunched nose look

The nieces and nephews love their Uncle Jon... when I was reading to several of the Katterson kids in the bedroom and heard the door open and "the men" return from their expedition, I said, "I think I hear someone..."

 and they all cheered, "Uncle Jon is here!" :)

6 little munchkins

 

After Meri-Kay and Jon left on Friday, Ben, Victor, and I hopped in the van and headed to Iowa for Christmas Part 2.  (Note: Victor did fabulous on the drive... we didn't make a single stop all the way from our driveway to my parents'!)

Victor caught on to present-opening quite quickly.

Hudson and Victor in coordinating Christmas outfits from Grammy and Grandad

Sadly, Mom got sick on Saturday, so Dad was the official host of our Vaupel family celebration on Sunday.  But he did a real good job.  There were a few details overlooked, such as taking photos of each family together, and distributing all the leftovers that we so carefully spooned into little yogurt and whipped topping containers... but generally, everybody enjoyed the time.

Celebrating the anticipated arrival of Ryan and Amanda's little one!

A little early birthday celebration

Victor got quite a kick out of watching Grandad vacuum

Hudson's fabulous Christmas present: a basement wonderland ... 

barn playhouse, slide, kitchen, grocery carts, tractor, big blocks, oh what fun!

The trip was a quick one, but it was delightful to stretch out Christmas and visit Iowa for a little while.  The Lord has filled our cup to overflowing...

I Love You, Dad

They didn’t tell you what fatherhood meant
Before the babies came.
They didn’t warn you that kids don’t outgrow puking
And you never stop jumping at the midnight jangling of the phone.

They didn’t mention it means you are
The donkey in the Christmas story, the king to your princess,
The game show host for birthday quizzes before you hand out presents.

They didn’t say fathering included tutorials
In geometry, algebra, physics, and calc.
That coaching would mean a lot less waving trophies
And a lot more hugging your girl’s shoulders
While she cried on the bench.

They didn’t say anything about all the dim-lit evenings
You’d spend watching school musicals
And cheering for the second sheep in the third row.
Lots of time at tournaments, track meets, recitals, and plays
And not so much time playing golf.

They said something about bedtime stories,
But they didn’t tell you that meant just one yellow book
They’d pull out night after night after night after night
To read in purple nightgowns curled up under sheets.

They didn’t tell you fathering meant loving their mother
And showing them the way a real gentleman will
Whistle while he empties trash
And make sure that her gas tank stays full.

They didn’t mention the many investments
You wouldn’t make in fast cars, fancy restaurants, and hot beaches
But in piano lessons, orthodontists,
And road trips with the luggage packed on top.

They didn’t say how much patience it would take
To teach them we’re the Andersons, not the Bickersons,
That everything takes practice,
And that hard work is a good gift in life.

They didn’t tell you how they’d watch you all the time
To see if you were the same at church as you were at home
And learn how the Bible talks about real life,
And find their earliest glimpse of God in the face of their dad.