Happy Father's Day! For obvious reasons I am thinking about my dad today. The spirit of a giant, put in a little guy :) (sorry dad but it is true) In fact the memory that kept coming to mind today is about just that!
It was years ago, I was probably a senior or so in High School, and my dad was in the bishopric of our ward at church. The primary kids had just finished their annual sacrament meeting program, and my dad was conducting. Up he went to the stand and started to adjust the pulpit for himself. He raised it up, and up some more, and up some more.... the congregation started to have some nervous chuckles, and in the Germaine pew..... we just looked confused at one another. He had raised the pulpit as high as it would go, and I knew he would not even be able to peer over the top of it. Then up he walked to the pulpit head held high, at the last second he reached down and grabbed the step-stool that the primary kids had been using to reach the microphone. He stood on the top step and looked down, well over the pulpit, at the congregation and said, "Well, had I had known we had this step-stool all these years..."
True confession: I was so proud of my dad that day. I went to sunday school and all my classmates were talking about how funny my dad was. And I just kept thinking, "you don't even know the half of it." We Germaine's like a good laugh and when we get all together the volume in the room can get kind of loud! And honestly my dad is usually the instigator.
Dad,
I love your smile and your laugh and your ability to take a hard situation
and make it lighter. I love that even though all the boys I grew up with could tower over you... they were still terrified of you... perhaps though, it is time to ease up on them just a bit ;)
I love all the things I take with me because of you, my love of movies, willingness to work and to work hard, sometimes my stubborn personality (... but mom does get a bit of credit for that one too;), A love of the Book of Mormon, cravings for beans on toast or strawberry daiquiris (non-alcoholic of course), general car, electric, plumbing, and building knowledge. And a hope and excitement for the future!
I love that when I went to the temple for the first time, you were the first person I saw there at the end, waiting for me with a big grin on your face. (Also that I could hear your voice, no matter what room I was in) Thank you for being there, then and always.
I hope all of you remember to tell your dads how much you love them this fathers day (and every day after)
