Father's Day Thoughts... a little belated

The other night at work I saw something really cute. There was a dad there hanging out with his wife and little daughter (she couldn't have been much older than 18 months). The little girl was very upset and started to cry... but not just a little bit... she broke out into these huge, earth-shattering, heart wrenching sobs. Of course, her daddy scooped her up, pulled her close to him, and she buried her head in his shoulder and just started wailing.

I was watching this scene unfold and I was reminiscing about being a little girl myself and crying like that in my dad's arms. There is something really calming and reassuring about being held and encouraged to just cry it out. I doubt many adults feel comfortable enough with anyone to cry the way little girls do with their daddies.

Anyway, it made me think of my own dad, and the most random memory popped into my head. I know it is kind of weird that this is one of my favorite memories of my dad, but maybe it just goes to show that good dads are still your daddy no matter how old you get or what else is going on in your life.

So... here it is. My freshman year of college, I was living downtown with a roommate, and since she and I didn't always see eye-to-eye on things, I ended up coming home often and staying at my parents' house. They were (very generously) allowing me to drive their car on the weekends if I needed it, and feeding me when I came home (even though they gave me grocery money and paid my rent when I was in the apartment).

Anyway, this particular day was a Saturday, and I had a final in one of my classes... one that I wasn't doing very well in, so everything depended on the project I was about to present. I was staying at my parents' house, so I got up early and drove their car to my apartment, where I parked it on the street with my school project and backpack in the backseat. I ran upstairs to get something, and when I came back down to get in the car, I realized there was glass everywhere... all over the street, the curb, and the inside of the car. Also, my backpack was missing: although, thankfully, my project was still intact.

I had no cell phone and no way to contact anyone, so I had to drive to school and park the busted car on the street (and borrow someone's cell phone) while I tried to contact my parents and the police. I don't remember much of my final, except that my professor took pity on me and passed me regardless of the fact that I was probably on the verge of tears throughout my entire presentation...

But here is what I remember really vividly from that day. As soon as I finished my presentation, my professor released me and I was standing waiting for the elevator to go down to the lobby and wait for my dad. I forgot to mention that my dad was preparing for a trip to Malaysia (I was planning on taking him to the airport that afternoon). But he had said he would come down and help me work out all the details with the car- his car, which I had just, in my stupidity, caused damage to.

Well, I was standing in front of the elevator and the doors slid open, and there he was, standing there, looking worried. And the first thing out of his mouth was probably something like, "Are you okay?". And I just burst into tears like a two year old, and buried my face in his shoulder and cried and apologized for being so stupid and irresponsible. I was probably about 17 or 18, but I don't know if I remember another time where I was so thankful to see my dad. And what amazes me now when I think about that story is that really, he had every reason to be pissed at me, but instead he comforted me and seemed more concerned about my tears than the car window (which cost a LOT of money to replace). I don't know if I had cried like that for years and years, but there was a sense of "your dad is here, everything is going to be okay."

Anyway, that is probably my favorite memory of my dad. (The original blog post from that day is here: http://beatlesxforxsale.blogspot.com/2006/03/saturday-march-18th.html)

Also, watching this whole interaction, I got a little excited. I find it really telling that this child was there with both her parents, but she ran to her daddy for comfort. I was thinking of Matt and how he will get to be that source of strength and protection for our little girl. It was really beautiful to watch. I thanked God that that little girl had a daddy like that, and that I did, and that my daughter will.