Happy birthday, Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday. Not the first one I've ever spent away from him, but certainly the most difficult emotionally. I got to talk to him on the phone a little while ago, he's in Wyoming on the annual Webb family camping trip and today he's with almost all the kids horseback riding in the mountains near beautiful Alpine Wyoming.

I want to say a few things about my dad that I don't really get to on a daily basis.

Dad, you are truly the best man I have every known. The older I get, the more I realise what a remarkable person you are. You work well over a full time job running a business as well as spend considerable time in ministry to those in your church in addition to the people in your family. You have been a faithful son, loving husband, and the most fun, nurturing, and reasonable father I could have ever hoped for. In recent years I have been struck by your ability to listen to people, and be compassionate for those in need.

You are very competitive, but are able to bring yourself down to the level of anyone by altering the rules of the game to make it fun for everyone. You value other people more than anything in the world aside from your Heavenly Father, making you easy to be around. Your idea of fun is having an adventure where anything can happen whether in the forest of Wyoming, crowded streets of Istanbul, or podunk Missouri.

I marvel when I think of the years where you would come home one afternoon a week to teach a subject to us to help alleviate Mom's workload of homeschooling 6 kids at once. You taught us science, chemistry, Spanish, the one where we learned about trees (I forgot what that one was called), art (I think), and constantly tutored all of us on math throughout our entire season of homeschooling. Some of my favourite memories are that Spanish curriculum where we listened to the story that was interactive about the guy who was on some kind of mission in Mexico and had to learn the language by pointing to things (I still don't know Spanish but it was a good effort), when we did the experiment on Osmosis and alternately put the egg into water and vinegar over several days and dissolved the shell and watched the sack shrink and enlarge, and our chemistry project where we had to give a speech and use a tri-fold presentation board along with answering questions on our chosen subject. I LOVED having you as my teacher and am so glad you and Mom invested so much into our education. I feel like I was given so much more than any kid educated through the public system. Oh and remember date breakfasts at Denny's to review how things are going in school and make sure we can ask any questions we need to? Grand Slam all the way - eggs scrambled, all bacon please.

I have some favourite memories with you that come to mind right now. The Grey's River rafting trip with you and Nate on that giant circular raft where we had to get out because of lightening. We turned the raft on it's side against a tree for shelter and ate rice cakes while waiting out the storm. I don't know how you kept them dry during our river time but they were nothing short of a feast in the forest! Hide & Seek in the dark and Extreme Duck Duck Goose in the sand? Who thinks of these things? You can take the most traditional children's games and make them a memory so fun that it will be told for generations! There are so many more, I think someday I may write a book about you. =)

You are determined.

You educate yourself.

You learn how to fold double tip handkerchiefs
if it's what needs to be done.

You
walked
 me
down
 the
aisle.
 You
were
brave
and
 strong
 for
me.
 You
have
 always
 been
there.

 

It's funny because when I look at you, I don't see a bald guy who is almost 50 and can't return my spikes as well as he used to. I see my Superman. The person who taught me what it is to love the Lord. Who SHOWED me through his tears what it is to worship with passion. Who lead me by example into life seeing hardship and pain with the perspective of it being an opportunity to grow.

You are my father - biologically and spiritually.

You are my friend.

You are my mentor.

You are my coach.

Along with Mom, you have created 6 incredible people who love each other and God. How many people can say even that? To go far beyond and accomplish as much as you have in life is so much more than I could ever hope for myself.

You make
me laugh
probably
more than
anyone
 I know.
You make
me cry
for sure
more than
anyone I
 know when
I have to
go without
you.

Daddy I miss you so much. I LOVE Josh, and I am certain that moving here was the right thing for me. But it breaks my heart every day that I don't get to be with you. Some families are okay being far apart from each other. They are fine with only seeing each other once or twice a year for holidays, but I'm not. I NEVER want to live far away from you again after this. I want to see you every week at church, bring my kids over to play with you, help you with projects around the house, go on picnics and have bonfires at the beach... I am so glad that Heaven is forever because no amount of time with you would be enough for me. I lived with you for twenty-one and a half years and now I feel like I had just made my best friends in the world and had to say goodbye to all but one.

When I was younger I craved friendships so bad. I saw my friends having sleepovers and going to each others houses all the time. I wanted that so badly and I am ashamed of that idolatry. Right now I would give anything to have my whole family together and have undivided time. I love the way the Lord uses us to encourage each other and to serve others, and I love seeing the joy that comes from our time together however it is spent. I can't wait for September to come. And then Christmas when I get to be with everyone again.

I love you Dad. I am so honoured to be your daughter. So blessed to have learned so much from you. I hope to be half the parent to my children as you have been to me. I pray I will have the kind of impact on people's lives as you have. And I will try to live up to your legacy.