Tuesday, November 17, 2009

grateful on the 17th

Today I'm grateful for my dad. The esteem I have for my dad is greater than can be expressed in a 5-a-day post, but he makes the list nonetheless. My dad is truly handsome. I have always thought so. A few things I am grateful for and admire regarding my dad:

- he is disciplined and meticulous. he is faithful with his exercise regimens, he loads the dishwasher with a slight bit of OCD (and passed it on to me), he takes impeccable care of his possessions and understands that obedience brings forth blessings.

- he calls me sometimes just to chat. to see how I'm surviving, to comment on a photo of beckham's face or to share a compliment or funny story. I love when he calls.

- he's got his feet on the ground. he dreams big and probably believes in miracles, but he's grounded in reality and occasionally helps me find my way back there.

- he has taken great care to provide fantastic opportunities for his family. whether it be travels, education or exposure to things outside of the local community, he offered them readily to his children and is now doing the same for the next generation. while he may be dubbed the banks family atm, his focus has always been on the experience, not the expense.

- he plans and he prepares. seriously. as in, we have things on the calendar many months in advance because he just can't help but plan ahead (another inherited urge). as in, he must take an afternoon while on vacation to prepare his sunday school lesson even though he knows the material inside out.

- he lets us make mistakes. somehow he found the perfect balance between letting us sink and bailing us out just enough when we've taken a wrong turn. high school was not full of rescues, but rather those gosh darn natural consequences that hurt like you know what.

- he's a lover of fine things. he does not read paperback books or wear bargain clothing. he drives fancy, enjoys a great meal, and exposed his family to classic music and theater. and while his work ethic may not be in the form of boots and work jeans, my dad is not lazy. he has put in many taxing hours building a company that he can only be proud of.

He was the first man I loved. He promised not to tell my husband that I would always love him a little bit more. I'm sure glad Heavenly Father chose him to watch over me while in my early years... and still. He's pretty much amazing.

8 comments:

Joni said...

You're Dad is pretty awesome. Dad's are the best!

tenacious d said...

Your dad still is one of my favorite bishops ever. He was honest and funny and dealt well with the "Island of the Misfit Toys" that singles' wards are. And as his oldest, he made you get up and do things in front of us like give a talk or play the piano that cannot have been fun, but they were character-building.

Tutz said...

AB,
Great tribute to your dad. I love him too!

Amy said...

Can I just send my dad to your post & say ditto? Except it wasn't classical music & theater, it was Suns games & sports. haha!

Jana said...

That was so thoughtful and exact! What would we do without our dads? I got a good laugh out of him not reading paper backs. I actually have a little things about books. Well, libraries I should say. I just can't check books out for some reason. All those germs. And who knows where they went with those books????!!! I am teased endlessly for this in my book club, but while they are all coughing, I am not. :) I too, love your dad!! He was the perfect thing for me as I was preparing for my mission. I will always love him for all he did!!!!

Cammi said...

I teared up a little.. This post was amazing! Love that Uncle Ben!

Cammi

Lindsay said...

yeah, i guess he's alright.

Lindsay said...
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