His influence...

Today on my car run to get Joel a special coffee and breakfast sandwich, I heard a blip of a sermon about Father's Day. It was an admonition to men about the influence they have/don't have on their children. That if they aren't having an influence on their children, someone or something (media, culture, etc.) will. It was really, really good and really, really made me thankful for Joel's influence on Sam and Amelia. It didn't take me long at all to come up with many ways I know he has an impact on their little beings. An impact that will last forever.

Just one example is that in a time in our culture where so many of us tune out of living and tune into TV, video games, and other time suckers, Joel has pretty much none of that. He spends his free time on life and people and reading and such and it's something I love that Sam and Amelia get to see and experience. He will jump on his bike, put them in the Chariot and head off on an adventure at the drop of a hat and he has been that way throughout their whole life. He doesn't balk at living life with them. Taking them on outings, doing his chores with them, sharing sleep with them--he lives his life and he lives it integrating them into it instead of treating them as inconveniences. Oh, I love that.




He also takes the time to read their Bible to them and pray with them. They are reading through it for the 2nd or 3rd time now, and I cherish that they hear about the love of God from their daddy. Because Joel will disappoint them one day. They will grow up and learn that his love for them is imperfect, that he struggles and fails just like we all do. But the love of God is perfect and right and will not leave them or forsake them. It's the most precious gift he is giving them, the knowledge of a perfect Father that loves them fully.

These are the days to reach the hearts of our children and I'm so thankful that Joel is taking that honor and responsibility seriously. Of course, Sam and Amelia feel that love, and it was so precious to see how excited they were to celebrate Father's Day today.

They drew many, many pictures yesterday in preparation, watercolor painted frames for him, answered questions about him for a little survey we gave him, and were just beside themselves to give him all of their surprises:) In fact, poor Joel, Amelia woke up at 5:30am and urged him to get up to see them all. When she didn't have any luck she sang him songs and told him stories until she came to wake the rest of the house up (Sam and I were blissfully asleep in the guest room, where I will probably be stationed until after baby comes because I sleep so much better on that mattress while pregnant).

Anyway, after giving him some more time to sleep we finally burst into the room singing "Happy Father's Day to you, Happy Father's day to you..." Sam just kept handing him things as fast as he could and Amelia was bouncing all over the bed in excitement, and then stopping to give Joel big kisses and hugs and then bouncing some more. It was such a funny, precious scene. Joel reading all of his cards while Sam snuck bites of his daddy's special breakfast , Amelia just beside herself, Joel so sleepy from a late night and early morning, me trying to not cry over all of the sweetness. Yep, it was pretty simple and pretty great.




Thanks to my mama for helping me with the crafts (she is our official craft director:) and for spending time with the babes this afternoon so I could take Joel on a little shopping trip to REI, where we laughed at the prices but had fun and found a great shirt for him on clearance:)

Happy Father's day to my love, and of course to my Dad, and my brothers too! It truly is such an important role you have, no matter how old your children may be. Lots and lots of love on this special day, Jen

Oh, and here are their little Father's Day surveys (I found them on the blog, Simply Montessori). Oh my.