Several months ago, when life was still ‘normal’, I began thinking about how much I appreciated my husband. I thought about how much I hope that my daughter will one day marry a man that loves her as much as my husband loves me and our children. When we were first married, I sometimes had unrealistic and unexpressed expectations about how his love should be expressed. I assumed that he should know what I wanted and what I needed without me ever telling him. I would drop hints about what I wanted as a gift (which worked well for my mom or my friends) and get upset when he didn’t pick up on them. Yet through it all, he has been showing me love in so many ways that are far more important and far more real and lasting than a gift.
Today, the world looks a bit different than it did when I first began composing this post. We have been in the midst of a pandemic that turned our world a bit upside down for the last several months. While I miss our extended family, there is no one I’d rather spend time with than my husband and children. This week as we celebrate Father’s Day, I wanted to share a short list of the ways he shows our family his love on a daily basis. I hope my daughter (and yours) find a man, that will really love her in the day to day. Not with fancy rings or expensive gifts, but with the hard work and dedication that is shown everyday.
Dear Daughter,
I pray that one day you find a man who will love you second only to God. A man that will show that love in real and practical ways.
He will…..
- sit at the table and help your teenager with algebra
- play ball in the front yard with your children
- listen to you cry and complain and tell you it will be alright
- pick up your favorite treat when he goes into town, just because…
- encourage you to take time for a walk
- share his bowl of ice cream after a long day
- take the baby and walk the halls while you sleep when you just can’t do it anymore
- work hard to provide for your family
- buy you fried chicken every Tuesday during the pandemic when he goes out for groceries because it makes you smile
- get up and check the house in the middle of the night because you heard a noise (even though he was sleeping comfortably)
- he will be a constant in your life in good times and bad
- he will support you even when times are challenging
I could list a hundred more little things that your dad does for me and other people’s list may be completely different from mine. While the specifics may look a bit different from person to person, real love is giving and sacrificial. Real loved is lived out in our day to day actions. When you are old enough to begin dating and looking for a husband, find someone that will care for you for better or for worse. Find the man that will be there for you when life feels crazy. Chose the one with whom you can enjoy being ‘quarantined’.
Love, Mom
This Father’s Day, if you have a father or a husband who has made a difference in your life and shown you real love, make sure to let them know it is appreciated. I don’t know that words can truly express how thankful I am but what a blessing for us and our children to have such role models in our lives. I would love for you to share in the comments some of the ways your husband shows his love for you and your family.
Also check out all of the other Father’s Day posts over at the Homeschool Review Crew Blog.
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Deals and Freebies
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If you are looking for a fun way to encourage reading this summer, check out the FREE summer reading materials from Your Morning Basket with Pam Barnhill. The passport and reading bucket list are a great way to encourage reading!
Homeschool Complete is offering a special 10% off discount to my readers! Just use code: SWAG
Evan-Moor is offering their Daily Fundamentals book FREE right now to help out during this time.
Get a FREE Literature Kit from LitWits using Code 11READ4FUN. We are currently enjoying the Heidi kit but have also previously loved the My Side of the Mountain kit.
IEW is offering some great free resources right now.
FREE Baby Yoda Art Lesson from Nana!
Illustrated Would You Rather Book (Free on Kindle)
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