Happy Entrance Day, Daddy!

Today marks one year that my daddy has been gone. He made his entrance into heaven on a day much like today - peaceful and beautiful as the world rushed by.

I told a story yesterday while I was teaching our Ladies' Bible Study, that always makes me think of my daddy. It was about my earliest recollection of a defining moment which occurred when I was nine. It's the moment I knew I was creative.

My daddy especially marveled at this special gift of mine. So naturally, who do you think was the first person I showed off my creations to whenever I crafted something from my own hands? My daddy, of course!

Daddy would go on and on, about the outfit I'd made or the t-shirts I was painting, or the wallpaper folders I was making to give to friends. It didn't matter how tired he was or how poorly crafted my creations were. He was always so impressed and that made me work harder to try new things and to become better at the things I did well.

Everyone should have someone in their lives that zeros in on their gifts and makes a big deal out of them even when they're not. 

Today, there's barely a moment that goes by when I don't have a creative thought. I wake up to the buzz of ideas churning in my brain and I go throughout my day just like that - brainstorming, thinking up big ideas, problem solving... There's always a party in my head!

I love this part of me. Others love it too, because I am frequently being called upon by family, friends, and coworkers to help find creative ideas and solutions for all sorts of things. 

I love this part of me because this is the part that brings me joy. Doing things with my hands, thinking up things no one else even thought of, or recreating ideas, makes me happy!

I love this part of me because when I'm being creative, I am being fully me.

My daddy could fix about anything. In fact, he would often ask me to help him fix things. I didn't always like that because usually those things were cars or plumbing projects. UGH! I hated those. I didn't mind making things with him that involved using a saw or a hammer. Those were more my speed because I always somehow found a way to use the scraps for a craft project. :-) 

Then of course, I'd show them to my dad and he'd be amazed at what I did with a few little scraps of wood or whatever was left from his project. Do you know what that does for you? It confirms the gift of God within you and that's a good thing.

So many of us owe a debt of gratitude to someone else because we are who they encouraged us to be. Thanks, Daddy, for always calling forth this gift of God within me. Oh, and Happy Entrance Day! If I could, I'd make you a t-shirt that said, "Honey, I'm home!" And I know you'd wear it quite proudly.