You're There

You were there for 9 months (x2). Taking care of the house and the meals while I was too sick to move. Making grocery runs for popsicles at midnight and tying my fat feet into my too small shoes because I couldn't bend over to reach them myself. 

You were there when the boys took their first breaths. You saw them before I did. I saw the look on your face when you saw them for the first time --and I knew immediately that we did real good. I knew that these boys were the most priceless treasures you had ever laid your eyes on. 

You were there for the middle of the night feedings and diaper changes and the rocking back to sleep. You're still there in the middle of the night--snuggling sick kids or calming down the aftermath of a bad dream or grabbing a sippy cup of water. You're always there. Always. 

You're there after work when you're tired or worn out--you give them every ounce of energy, attention, and adventure you have--as if it were your only job in the world. And sometimes after they're asleep, you work more, because you're always there to provide for us.
 

You're there in your free time. What a high value you have placed on their lives by changing your priorities during this season of our lives. They are the center of your world. Even if that means your favorite hobbies don't get as much attention as they used to--or include the boys tagging along--you make sure they know you want to spend your time with them.

You're there for books and baths and bible stories. You pray with them and deposit invaluable worth into their souls. 

You're there to sing the same songs a thousand times without getting annoyed. You're there to teach how to crawl upstairs, ride bikes, build bonfires, swim and to show them how to get back up after a fall. You're there to cuddle and wrestle--you're there as a fun place to laugh and a safe place to land.

Because of the way you have chosen to be a life-giving, ever-present dad, you are changing the possibilities of their world. You are empowering them to be strong, godly men. You are showing them how to someday love and serve and honor their wives and their friends. You are showing them how to be confident and how to seek out adventure and to dare greatly and go forth boldly. You are calling out greatness in these 2, sweet little boys and I'm watching them learn to walk in that greatness because they watch their father do it everyday. 

They say the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world--so, keep rocking, dads--I can already see the world changing--

Because you're there.