Father's Day

Happy Father’s Day to all the daddies out there! My Father’s Day weekend was very special and blessed because God gave me the chance to spend it with my two wonderful kids and their incredible mommy. For a few precious moments, we were reminded of who we are together. One more time the doctors let him come home to decompress before we enter the battleground again. Garrett heads back to the hospital this week as we start another round of infusion treatments. It’ll be a challenging week to be sure, but it’s just another step in the journey we have to take. He's starting to get scared about it and he knows the biopsy is just around the corner.

But for a day or two, we got to put it behind us and just be a family together again. These two days magnified the love I have for my family and my commitment to fight until my last breath to raise honest, ethical and self reliant kids who live every day for God. Being a daddy is a passionate vocation. In my line of work, I’ve seen too many kids who don’t have a daddy. Oh, they have someone who fathered them, but they don’t have a daddy to inspire and motivate them. God ordained daddies with a monumental task. We are to love our children enough to encourage them and give them courage, but also enough to discipline them and keep them focused on the right things. But we also have to balance it just right so as not to raise a spoiled, selfish egotist and not so hard that we break their spirit. With a prayerful iron fist in a velvet glove I try to give them what they need to survive. I just don’t know if I’m doing it right, but I’m giving it all I have. Fortunately, I have Kathy. Mommy's job is to make sure I'm on track. It is the most frequent prayer I offer to the most loving of Fathers. I don’t want to fail my children. I want to help them find their path to Heaven.

Before we turned in for the night I talked with the kids about the cleanliness of dirt. One of the best gifts I can give my kids is good dirt. The kind of dirt you’d find on a ball field, or a rodeo arena, or in a hunting camp helps inspire a clean life. I explained how healthy it is to get dirty cleaning pens or the dog kennel. It’s hard to express in words they can understand how calluses, splinters, blisters and dirt under the fingernails help them become better warriors. So many kind people got really dirty cleaning up our place a few weeks back, and they left that day absolutely sparkling clean.

Good dirt is one of the best ways there is to get clean. Few things clean the soul like good, clean dirt. Conversely, few things damage the mind and soul like evil dirt. The kind of grime you find on a computer screen or television produces filth unlike any other. Hollywood doesn’t give a pinch of owl poop about the souls of my children. The enemy exists in powerful brigades through the media outlets and in the name of “entertainment”. We hear it in the music and see it on the screen and in the magazines. Newer, faster technology and “feeling good” without responsibility is what they feed our children. I couldn’t care less about having a cell phone that downloads movies. The moral fiber of this country is damaged to the point where a true daddy has to put on his armor every day to bring the fight to those who wish our children harm. It scares the heck out of me. I don't worry when they're riding their bike with no hands, running around in the horse pens or trying to catch a wild barn cat. I worry when they're inside with few options but to watch TV.

The risks facing Garrett right now are not just limited to his heart. They talk about “at risk” kids. Let me tell you, every kid today is “at risk”. I’ve seen some of these so-called kids shows. Most of them are garbage! Without daddy around him every day right now and Garrett being physically removed from an environment specifically designed to help him grow and mature properly, he is constantly in the cross hairs of the evil one and the immorality the TV screen is trying to inject into his mind. It’s more dangerous than any physical disease. I’ve been trying to find the right words to teach him about humility. I want him to look at every gift, every toy, and every card he receives from so many folks, and to put a face to them. I want him to understand that each gift is connected to the blessing of a person somewhere who loves and prays for him. It’s not just a toy; it’s a link to someone who took time to care. I hope he gets the message, because the alternative is gloomy. He did something tonight that shows me he is, though. He gave his sister one of his birthday presents, just because. It warmed my own heart.

So for all the fathers out there, I wish you a blessed Father’s day. Give your children some good ol' dirt. It will help clean them up and help them stay morally sound. For my Father’s day gift, I want my family home so badly and for life to be “normal” again. I hate the separation. I want my kids to be outside and getting dirty again. There’s chores to do.

JD