The Little Memories (a Father's Day Post)

Okay, so this weekend is Father's Day weekend.  Of course, I was mistaken and thought that Father's Day was next weekend. So as one of my late presents, I'm writing a post dedicated to my dad, who deserves much more than this.

Truly, there are countless things I could write about my dad. But today, I decided to write about little things because little things can often be more thoughtful than the big things. Sometimes we overlook the little things.

My dad is a Little League coach. He's been coaching since my brother was very young. Since then, our whole family have a strong love for baseball that will never leave us. In fact, one of my most favorite times of the year is Little League season.

Just recently, I was sitting at the top bleacher like I usually do, watching the game. This particular game was very completive. During the time my team was on defense, I heard many fans from the other side yelling things like, "Step into the pitch!" It was definitely a tedious game and I was nervous. Through it all though, I heard my dad yelling to his players, "Play catch!" in a relaxed tone. It was funny, but at the same time, I marveled. Because while I was uptight, wondering if this guy was going to get a hit, Dad just focused on something simple.

Dad is my math teacher for three semesters, at least. Because of him, I don't see math as something too hard and boring. He makes math fun. We even have an original math handshake that we do after class, in the order of operations. Sometimes, afterwards, we talk about the events of the day. I share what's on my mind and he tells me of who he talked to about Jesus that day. We laugh and tell our thoughts. Though we won't be doing math next semester, I will always treasure the memories of us together, at the table, at nine o'clock, talking.

Dad is a Christian. I've had the pleasure of meeting many strong Christians in my life time, but no one speaks to me like my dad does. My earliest memories of him are the nights when he'd call us all into the living room and do Bible study. We would sing a song and learn God's word. Explaining to us about God's word, he gave me a deeper understanding of the Bible.

He and my mom work together as a team, homeschooling us. They keep each other calm when they need it most. Of course, they're not perfect, but they're always willing to work through it, no matter what. Dad's not perfect, but I love him even more for that. Amazingly, he shows me that everyone will mess up, but God can forgive any mess that we make.

Just last night, we were in the backyard roasting marshmallows. Because of the weird happenings of the day, I was stressed out. Dad asked me if I wanted to dance under the stars. At first, we slowed danced and he whispered a original song in my ear. (My dad is quite the songwriter. I knew he was feeling creative that night because the song had more than two sentences) Then, he sang a crazy song, doing weird dances and making me laugh, like always. It was small, but I loved it all the same. That's what I love about my dad. He makes me realize that the little things are often the best memories.

I messed up a lot too, but no matter how disobedient I am, Dad and I always make up. He is a writer as well and encourages me in my writing, always wanting what's best for me. I love Jesus for putting me together with such an God-fearing, merciful and awesome dad. He makes me laugh even when I'm mad at him. He's sociable, loving to meet new people and share Jesus to them. Above all, he has helped me through my walk with the Lord. I hope we can make many more memories together, but I know I will never forget what we have already made.