Me & my beloved Dad, 1996

Sept 30, 2011

I always thought of my Dad as the North Star, pointing me to what really matters in life. I could believe in a God who loved
me unconditionally, tenderly, with joy, a God who delighted in me, because my Dad loved me that way. When I met David, I recognized him as the man God had created to be my soul-mate because David’s heart is strong and true, just like my Dad’s.

So many childhood memories of my Dad – just the two of us canoeing on a smooth-as-glass-morning-lake; teaching me the names of stars and wildflowers; leading a Bible study for my high school friends in Australia so they could learn about Jesus; jumping up and down with me, hand-in-hand, in a moment of pure mutual spontaneous joy right before I walked down the aisle to marry David.

I am so grateful to have known my Dad as an adult, to transition beyond a father-daughter relationship into true friendship. I shared the depths of my heart with him, and he steadied me with his gentle wisdom. He is one of my closest friends. We sent many emails back and forth and had many conversations about the nature of God, the difficulty of this world, and our longing to be with Jesus forever.

I had lunch with my Dad the day before he died, just the two of us at my house. It was mostly just like always, a sweet time of being together, talking about his unwavering love for my mom, his beloved Katie, about his grandchildren and other family members and friends, and our daily activities. We also talked about the pain of living ten years with his stroke. He persevered valiantly. But he was tired.

When he left my house, he said what he always said me and to each one of us, “Always know I’ll always love you.”