Father’s Day. A day to celebrate DAD! Cards of love; sunflowers in the kitchen. A new shirt. Tatum’s quiet way to honor him.
There is Doug….Our steadfast one.
The one who works hard, protects us, covers us, keeps showing up, and somehow holds this family together when life feels like it keeps throwing one more thing our way.
We love him for all he does for us, but even more, we love who he is to us. He is the safe place. The one who makes sure we are protected and provided for. The one who watches over his little flock.
Honestly, he reminds me of the daddy quail outside our house.
We have these quail families that come around all the time, and I am obsessed with watching them. The mama and daddy stay close to their babies, guarding them, guiding them, keeping watch. There is something so beautiful about it. So simple. So faithful. Just like Doug. He is standing guard over his girls, his home, his people.
Because love is not just the big, romantic moments. It is not just the pretty pictures or the perfect holidays. Sometimes love looks like sitting in a doctor’s office. Sometimes it looks like driving your wife to Mayo. Sometimes it looks like holding the family steady when the plan changes again.
On Monday, Mommy had to go get tested at Mayo.
Yes, a nuclear medicine test and eating a radioactive egg sandwich so they can track your digestion for 48 hours.
Yes. A nuclear egg sandwich.
I had my little paper with all the return times, my instructions, and my strange hospital breakfast/lunch situation. Coopy patiently waiting for me.
This is what we do: We keep going.
Tatie loved on Ollie with a cucumber. The bird cage was probably messy five minutes later.
Cooper waited for Dad to play with him, staring at his toys like the loyal little fluffball he is. He knows who his people are. He knows when Dad is home. And he knows exactly how to guilt someone into playtime.
Then, because apparently we needed one more adventure, the power went out.
So we camped in the living room.
No big plan. No perfect setup. Just gathered together in the dim light while Tatum read to us. No power. No distractions. Just us. Oh, and Coopy freaking out.
It was quite the few days.
Father’s Day.
Mayo.
A nuclear sandwich.
Cucumber bird love.
A dog waiting for playtime.
A power outage.
A living room campout.
And in the middle of it all, there were my sunflowers. They are the KISS from God to me. That’s what they represent. So I keep them always in my kitchen.
Yes, I have Faith in Him. Faith that God is still carrying us through the storms.
Faith that even when our days look nothing like we planned, He is still near.
We are tired. We are stretched. We are often unsure of what is next. But we are also loved. Covered. Protected. Held. Thank you Honey. Thank you Jesus. Love still wins.