August 15, 2007 - Tribute to My Dad!
By: Melanie Hall
Of the many, many admirable things about my dad, there is one in particular I would like to mention: he is human. Maybe I should rephrase that: he is a man, made in the image of the almighty God, the One who created him, the One who gave him life on earth to become my dad. That fact alone makes him more special than anything else ever could or will and requires my respect, honor, and praise above all other things.
You have asked for the nitty-gritty, and I intend to give it to you, the first and quite obvious one being that my dad is not perfect. In fact, he is far from it. But in this one area he has been of great encouragement to me. You may ask how this is possible. I tell you it is. For amidst failures, shortcomings, and the ever-present sinful human nature, he comes before his Creator in humility and asks for pardon with a heart, ready and willing to do penance for grieving his Heavenly Father so. And with renewed strength and re-established spirit, he ventures forth once more to conquer the world for his ever gracious Lord and King. I have known no other man or woman so ready to admit defeat in such true humbleness of spirit, nor one so ready to keep reaching for that lofty goal laid out by the great I AM despite continual buffeting.
But my dad is not all stumble, start over, stumble, start over, by any means. He can fix just about anything, he certainly doesn’t physically stumble often, and boy does he know how to cook! In our circle of family, friends and acquaintances, he has become famous for his Doug Burgers. It’s always a treat to have him cook, especially since most everything he makes is even better than dessert!
My dad is very creative. In fact, he started cooking when he was still in elementary school. He has really helped and encouraged me in the area of creativity, whether or not he realizes it. He is always making up songs about random things such as my sisters and I, our dog, chips and salsa, and whatever else suits his fancy. He’s also an expert at making up puns at the drop of a hat. Not surprisingly he learned it from his dad, and when the two of them are together, they have whole conversations with a pun to adorn every sentence. He comes up with all kinds of funny “word” things, switching words and letters to make an entirely different phrase, but always succeeding in harvesting lots of laughter.
Probably one factor that causes this creativity is the music he listens to: that of the greatest classical composers who ever lived, his favorite being Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. To be honest, he doesn’t even know what first attracted him to this music other than it’s exquisite beauty and purposeful structure. I will always be grateful to him for instilling in my sisters and me an ardent love for this amazing gift from God to human kind. From the time when we were infants, the music of the masters’ has been played in our household, intriguing and inspiring us to learn more about this marvelous gift. My dad, in his love for this most beautiful of arts, has in turn taught us to love it ten times more.
The music in our lives when replayed often brings back joyful memories, exciting memories, sad memories, and hilarious memories. Some of our fondest memories are of the times when dad has stopped whatever he might have been doing so he could tell us of the times before we were born, or about his parents, or his grandparents. The nostalgia of the occasion is evident and the stories told, along with the memories being made, will be forever held in our hearts to cherish and share in hopes of bringing that same charm into all ups and downs of life.
You may wonder why I have only lightly touched on his spiritual life. It is because all that I have described about him is “faith [which] is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). You may ask how that works. Well, because he has “faith” in the one and only living God, he knows there is a purpose and reason for his life. And because life has meaning, he can enjoy it to the fullest, and being a dad brings him great joy. Do you see? Do you see why I love my dad? Do you see why he is worthy of this tribute even though he is not the best or most famous man in the world? According to ‘Webster’s New World Dictionary and Thesaurus’ the third definition of tribute is: “something given, done, or said to show gratitude, honor, or praise”. Dear Dad, I hope and pray that this does all of that, and I hope and pray that in every day God allows me to live I will do all that and more. I love you daddy!
Comments
August 15, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by BlogBoy
Eric
August 16, 2007 - Melanie...
Posted by SuperAngel
That was a very special tribute.
You were in time!! Yay!! you are now entered for the prize.
As Always,
SuperAngel
August 16, 2007 - Wow...
Posted by Jocelyndixon
I don't think you're too late. The contest didn't techinally end until midnight last night... Thanks for leaving me a comment... you earned a point! LOL
Jocelyn
August 16, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by BlogBoy
Eric
August 20, 2007 - Melanie,
Posted by SuperAngel
Your Tribute was a real, sincere, loving, and great tribute to your father. God has blessed you beyond measure with such a great dad. I am sure your dad is very blessed to have you as his daughter.
Congrats again. Thank you for your submission.
Come by my blog for the rest of the winners, and what you won, plus a special prize. ; )
As Always,
SuperAngel Amanda
August 20, 2007 - CONGRATS!
Posted by Jocelyndixon
Jocelyn
August 23, 2007 - To Pick up your prize:
Posted by SuperAngel
As Always...
SuperAngel Amanda
