By Duncan RobinsonFriday 30 Aug 2019Hope BreakfastParentingReading Time: 3 minutes
It’s Father’s Day, and today, Dads, is your day.
A glorious commemoration of new underpants and socks. A feast of favourite meals and hot breakfasts. A day when the wonders of fatherhood are celebrated and rejoiced.
To you Dad – Papa – Father – the most special and wonderful name bestowed upon a person, to you I raise my mug of hot double-strength coffee and doff my hat.
For all the early mornings, cranky children and restless nights’ sleep, these 24 hours stand as a celebration of you.
Each and every day, you write a legacy on your children’s hearts. Often unpraised, unnoticed and unsung, you are one of the most valuable commodities in our society. If I could sing, I would sing a song to you, brother, for you are a member of one of the most wonderful and special clubs in the whole wide world.
Dad…
It is by far the hardest, most exhausting, most time-consuming job you have ever had to work. It is also the most rewarding, most wonderful, most exhilarating thing you’ll ever do.
Through each and every day you strive to be a little better, a little wiser and a little more gracious. You are special, wonderful and loved.
If I could build a mountain of superhero underpants to stand as a monument in appreciation of Dad, I would.
Dad…
For the grazed knees, you are there. For the anxious nights, you are there. For the sharp disagreements, you are there.
Each and every day, you lead by example. Your children and your partners watch and wonder what you are going to do. It’s daunting. But you can do this.
“Your children and partners watch and wonder what you are going to do. It’s daunting. But you can do this.”
Be brave enough to ask for forgiveness when mistakes are made, be humble enough to learn from the family that God has given you.
We are all in this together; you can do this.
Dad…
We look to our own fathers and see the best and the worst in us. We don’t always lead with the best foot forward, or with the most rational plan. And sometimes, we don’t get it right. But for the title “Dad”, the challenge is worth it.
As for me, the receding hairline, I’ll keep. The slowly withering and exhausted frame, I’ll keep. Every single night of interrupted sleep, to be called Dad, I’ll keep.
Dad…
Today is a reminder of how special and wonderful you are. You are cherished and appreciated. Even though your teenagers don’t say it enough, you are loved.
So today we stand together and celebrate, and let’s commit – to being a little more faithful, a little more gracious, a little more courageous, and a lot more patient. Let us love our families more deeply, and celebrate each and every wonderful quirk they contain.
To you, Dad, I raise this novelty work sock – and salute you!
- Duncan Robinson is one half of Hope 103.2’s breakfast radio team, Sam and Duncan.