Mommy's Life: Dad*

Last night I walked in to our kitchen and found this note, and my heart melted. I took a picture and sent it to my mom, and her reply was "do you have tears in your eyes." She knows me so well. To some this is just a note written by a little girl to her dad, but to me it is so much more. This is another way of God reminding me that He had a plan for me long before my daughter was even born. He knew in my darkest days as a single mother that one day our family would be complete. 

I grew up without my biological father.  It used to be a tough topic for me to talk about, but those wounds have long healed. But when I became a single mother at a young age, the fear of history repeating itself consumed me. I was constantly haunted by the possibility of my daughter growing up without a father, and a good role model

someone to cheer her on in sports, and in life

someone to hold her hand through the tough stuff, and the scary moments

someone to wrap their big arms around her to assure her everything was going to be okay

someone to make her laugh

someone to teach her the difference between right and wrong, and that it is okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them

someone who would lead by example and share his passions with her

someone who would scare all the boys away with his shotgun

and someone who she could love and call DAD.

God knew exactly what he was doing the day He brought Cody into our lives. He knew that aside from being a good match for me he was a perfect Dad for our daughter... and he knew how to operate a shotgun - boys beware ;) 

Their bond gets stronger every day, and my heart overflows with gratitude every time I see them together, or hear them laughing, or watch her become more and more like him! She is definitely a Daddy's girl! I swear sometimes I feel like the black sheep of the family, between the pink bow-and-arrows, and bb gun, and cattle talk and their love for picking on me, and hiding behind things to jump out and scare me on a daily basis, you'd think they were blood! But one thing that I've learned is

blood doesn't make a family, or a father :: LOVE does! 

these goofballs stole my phone and took a whole bunch of "selfies"

I am so THANKFUL for the path that led me to where I am today. Everything I have gone through, all the struggles, all the mistakes, all the unanswered prayers led me to this moment, in my kitchen, with tears in my eyes, reading a note from my daughter to her Dad.