First, let me wish everyone a happy Father’s Day!  This is the day we celebrate our fathers, the ones who showed us the way.  The way to treat our moms,  how to work, even how to play.  Many took time out of a busy day to throw a ball, teach us how to mow the yard or just sit and share a can or pop.  

Most of all, it was the fun stuff they shared that provided the memories we have today. Some taught us how to ride a bike; Others shared their love of sports like golf or baseball; and still others shared their love of animals by caring for the family dog or raising and training horses.  The latter is the father I’m speaking about today on this Father’s Day.  This man, with a special love of horses, also raised the daughter I fell in love with.

Dean was truly a loving man.  There was never a time that I felt like he didn’t trust me with his prize possession.   He accepted me and my two boys into his life as if we had always been a part of it.  It was that acceptance that made me look forward to our meetings, and Father’s Day turned out to always be one of those.

For sixty-plus years, my wife spent that day with her dad.  Before I came into the picture, this day was a special day for those two.  Then, as a new family, we would take him out for dinner, bring in a buffet spread, or just sit in the living room and share horse stories of the past.  Most of the time, I would just listen as the two of them rambled on about showing horses at this State Fair or that one.  Going on about the time her mom was thrown off the cart in Springfield and an eight-month pregnant Suzanne jumped the gate to get to her; Eating bologna sandwiches between classes at the county fair; or hosting their own annual horse show at the farm, the stories went on and on and on.

Besides Father’s Day, for the past ( I can’t even count them)  years, we have traveled to be with her dad on Sundays to bring a meal, clean up around the place, get groceries for the week, and of course, tell more horse stories from the past.  Even during Suzanne’s cancer period, I’m not sure there was more than a handful of Sundays that this didn’t happen. Her dedication to her dad was inspiring.

After her surgery, storytelling became a little more one-sided as her dad struggled to understand her.  Even so, she would find the right question to get him going, and she too could listen as the stories continued.  

This past Friday, the man we all knew as ‘Granddad’ passed on to be with his Creator and all his family that passed before him.  Preparing for that last goodbye this next Saturday has been difficult for Suzanne, but not as difficult as facing today.   As you can see, today is not just a Sunday with nowhere to go, it’s also Father’s Day, and her heart longs to hear the horse stories of the past. 

Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story:
Acts 11:4