A Tribute to Dad

What does Father's Day mean to me this year?

More.

Having one child meant being witness to my husband turning into a Dad for the first time. I had the privilege of watching Nate learn how to hold a baby girl in one hand and a cold beer in the other, learn how to change diapers, soothe her when she got fussy, walk her around the yard in the bjorn while holding Whidbey and the heart/respiration monitor, learn how to buckle the dang car-seats, learn how to say no when she's so cute that dad really wants to say yes, and seeing him butt heads with his independent, spirit-filled daughter of 3 years. What a training ground Myrick has been for Nate-as-Dad.

And now, with two children, I'm honored to watch him continue to grow, change, adapt, struggle, and find enough love for us all. I think I can speak for both of us when I say that for the first time in eight years of marriage, this has felt like work. The father of my two children has worked hard in his first year teaching high school biology, in making time to keep our house and land up and running, in putting his daughter's bedtime stories as a priority over the piles of grading and planning, in taking Pender on evening strolls around the yard to soothe the fussy hour even while his dinner gets cold, and in setting aside time to watch Lost and share a beer with me even when he's exhausted at the end of a week. Seeing him parent Pender has reminded me, again, of what an excellent father he is. I remember him undressing Pen to hand to me in the bathtub and the surprised look of tenderness on Nate's face at holding his soft, naked little boy. It is in those unexpected moments that I see the joy of Nate's fatherhood come out.

Thank you, Nate, for being the glue in our family, for meeting each of us each day just where we are, for working so hard for us, and for giving us your profound, deep love. We are a blessed family because of you. Happy Father's Day.