I can't say enough about my dad. I'm definitely what you'd call a "Daddy's Girl" but that always came by easy for me. I feel like a lot of who I am was either genetically passed down to me by my dad or grown in me, like a seed planted at an early age.
My dad for one- is hilarious. He is hilarious in that uninhibited way- where he doesn't care if he looks silly or not. (Austin Honkey Tonk is all I need to say!)
My dad always knew how to cheer us up whether it was singing in a loud (and annoying) voice every night before bed "It's time....To go to beeeeeed!" and would chase each of us to our beds. And occasionally when we were lucky- he ran in after wards and jumped on our beds while yelling "BONSAIIII!" in a samurai voice. My sister especially loved it. :)My dad taught me laughter- especially to learn to laugh at myself.
My dad also spent time with each of us, all of my siblings to let us know we were special. Whether it was taking one of us out to toss a baseball, treat us to an ice cream, or take us on a nature walk- he always let us know we were loved. Individually loved. For who we were. Nelson kids grew up knowing their father loved them.
For me and dad our connection was nature. My dad grew up in a small town in Colorado called Steamboat Springs, where he skied and hiked his whole life. My dad then became a Forestry Major in college, where he would spend days at a time studying nature. My dad would always point out trees, their bark, what their scientific names were. And we always teased him growing up- of his love of mushrooms. He even gave my mother a close up picture of a mushroom he took for their engagement present. We all can't help laughing at this. Our hippie dad. Some of my favorite memories growing up are taking hikes with my dad. We would map out on the Buffalo River which one we'd take next. We would walk for miles at a time, sometime not even speaking. Both of us not wanting to break the beautiful silence of nature.
Thank you dad- for being there. For being present in every moment of our lives. To talk to us, to laugh, to guide us and teach us. Because of your love, I feel I can embrace God's love more easily. Because if you are even a tiny reflection of his character- than he can't be all that bad. :) Love you poppa!!
Psalm 103:13
"As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him." (NIV)
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