A Funeral and a Breath of Fresh Air

One of my dad's best friends died this week. His name was Fred and he died of cancer.

I stood next to my dad this morning at the funeral service and we sang, "Jesus, you call me friend". And under my dad's breath, I heard him mouthe the words, "Yes, Lord, a friend that sticks closer than a brother". I believe that Fred was one of those friends for my dad, and he takes solace in the fact that his Lord says he is also.

As I stood next to my dad, I felt a sense of strength rise up inside of me. My dad's a pretty tough guy. Not in the sense that he has a membership to Powerhouse. Rather, he's been through a lot in his life and never admits defeat. He's a fighter.

As a little girl, when my dad would pick me up from school after working at the trucking company, I would run to him hoping that everyone would realize this was my dad! Not all kids' dads have grease on their shirts; my dad was a hard worker! Do you see the way he smiles at me and scoops me up? He adores me, for crying out loud!

As a teenager, I put my dad through hell. And yet, whenever we would have dinner with his friends or he would introduce me to someone, he would always talk about my achievements...the good that I was doing. He would make me feel good about myself when I didn't have a whole lot of reasons to.

When I am with my dad, a feeling of invincibility fills me. A feeling of pride. A give-me-what-you-got-world because I'm stronger than you are feeling. And all this stems from knowing that I've got someone unconditionally in my corner.

When I see my dad hurt, I hurt. His eyes were glassy this morning and I know that he was fighting back the tears. But when I see the way he perseveres, I am filled with hope and a desire to live. Not just exist.

And by the way, I think my dad and I said five words to each other this morning and exchanged a hug.

So, that's what I was left thinking about...how I want to affect others. How I want to be remembered and talked about. How I want to bless the lives of those I interact with.

And that we have the opportunity to be that friend who sticks closer than a brother right along with the Big Kahuna (I think he smiles when I call him this, so I won't apologize).