As this is my first post of my new blog I wish to dedicate it to something that I feel is of great importance. I wish to focus this on my gratitude for my own father and encourage fathers, future fathers and others to spend time with their children. Make sure they know you love them. I see too many fathers not giving time to their children and I want to share my view as a daughter of a father who always gave and rarely received. I have a father who doesn't only protects but pushes as well, encouraging me to find my passions in life and reach my potential. Growing up, I never realized that having a father who was always there for his children was a rarity. I never cared if our family was rich, I never cared about his prestige at his work, what I cared about as a child is that he was there.
A love of learning was fostered in me from a young age. My father would wake me up early in the morning and take me running. Due to my aversion to the painful and often boring sport of running, my father would give me story problems to solve in order to distract my thoughts. He
never did this to make me feel inadequate, but he did it lovingly so
that my mind would develop and so that I would be able to analyze and
explore the world around me. Figuring out these problems kept my mind
busy and decreased the amount of complaints leaving my mouth. More
importantly, however, these problems gave me a thirst for knowledge and until this day that love of learning remains.
As
I grew older my interests and abilities changed and so
did the questions. Added to the mathematical questions came science
and history. During one of the many summers my family spent touring
the museums of Europe, our family decided to stay in a mountainous
city in Switzerland. One day we were hiking and most of my family
grew tired and decided to return down the mountain. My father and I
were still excited about the beauty around us and chose to continue
our hike. We were surrounded by blooming mountain flowers,
waterfalls, Swiss cows, and mountain wildlife. My father, always
hoping to improve my mind, began again to ask me challenging math and
science questions as we traversed across the mountain. This continued
for hours until the rain came and we returned home. No matter the
surroundings, my father was always eager to increase my knowledge.
My
father continues to be a guiding influence in my life. However, for most of my youth I was blind to the effort and
sacrifice he willingly gave to allow his children to grow and
excel. He gave up his career and his hopes of progression in his
field to give attention to his family. He supported my mother's
passion for teaching and allowed her to continue with her career by
ensuring the protection and care of their children. In return for his
selfless sacrifices, my father received many eye-rolls, slammed doors
and sometimes harsh words of frustration. He is one of the most charitable men I have ever met and exemplifies to me how our Heavenly Father feels about us. Like my earthly father, our Heavenly Father gives us challenges, experiences and trials to help us learn and progress. "He loves us. He weeps with us when we suffer and rejoices when we do what is right" (Preach My Gospel pg. 31). Fathers, remember the perfect example our Heavenly Father gives to us. Love your sons and daughters as He would love them. Helping them develop their creativity, their passions, their testimonies takes time, effort and love.
My father's hand
was always present in my life, guiding me at first and then waiting
to catch me if I fell. He fostered in me a unique love for learning
that has continued to influence me throughout my life. Through his
sacrifices, I have been able to excel and progress. He shows a love that our Eternal Father has for each of His children. My loving
father's care has shaped my life and for that I will be eternally
grateful.
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