For dump trucks full of cereal and the spirit of excellence; for a quick mind who puts God first; for picnics of sardines, Vienna sausage, cheese and bologna sandwiches; for walks in snow covered woods and teaching me to listen to the sound of the whippoorwill; for taking time to stop in the mountains and show us pure streams of water that still gush out of rocks; for bending his knees before the throne to petition the Holy God
( yes, I remember walking into the room unnoticed as my Dad poured out his petitions before the LORD in prayer as a child); for the firm foundation of stability and for being the first to show loving and tender mercy to this once wayward girl; for the wisdom of guiding his family threw troubled and storm tossed waters with the LORD and the Word of God as his compass; for the tireless and endless days of loving and providing, and letting that love shine like a beacon for many to find their way home to safety; for loving my mother and claiming her as his beloved for more than 58 years demonstrating the Bridegroom's love for his Bride; for graces to demonstrate patience that is a fine honed virtue to four generations; for integrity in all of his business dealings and being a man of his word and keeping his word in a world that has lost that treasured art and honor; for his mentoring of the fatherless, his compassion and generosity to the widows and the orphans; for pinching my ear with the greatness of his immense affection; for the embodiment of godliness and being the first to build bridges of grace for the lost prodigals to cross over; for being first to apologize and quick to repent; for loving the LORD with all his mind and heart and strength so that that love for God spills over in an undeniable manifest love of his neighbor; for his habit of rooting for the underdog; for these soft spoken words, "Daughter, pick yourself up, brush yourself off and keep going," that built resilience into my very being; for giving God all the glory for the many blessings and miracles of his life; for the lollipops handed out to every child at church every Sunday; for his Bible that is always open and the deep assurance that I-- still his child-- feel because I know my Dad is in his Word...for these #1000Gifts and oh so many more, I give thanks and praise to the Most High for giving me John Harrison Worden as my father! Dad, Happy Father's Day! You are and always will be my daddy and I a daddy's girl. I love you!
