Two Fathers

Last night we had a pre-wedding party at our house. I think there were 23 of us. I sat on the deck and watched as my father and father-in-law talked. I think there was a lot of greatness and character on that deck. As children and grandchildren played basketball and badminton these two men sat and talked and laughed together. The two of them had influenced and shaped everyone running around my yard in one way or another. I thought of how 27 years ago these two men sat and talked with me to see if I was ready to marry. Dick Heasley ended up convinced and let me take his eldest daughter away. Now I stand at the threshold of giving my daughter away. Some day I hope to sit on a deck watching my children and grandchildren play. i hope to have the same impact on their lives these two great men have had on mine.
This morning I walked by Rachel's room and looked in on my daughter sleeping in her bed. Soon it will be my bed again and not hers. Her bed she will share with a man named Will. But this morning she is still mine and still in her bed in my home. I smiled. I have loved having her. She is one of the great gifts from God to me and having her one more night is precious.