Father’s Day

On Father’s Day I caught another glimpse of how fortunate I am to have Shawn. Shawn hadn’t even gotten out of bed before Cody and Anna were excitedly handing out his gifts and cards. We had to hurry out the door that morning to get to church. I got a call in the week to help teach in Cody’s classroom the second hour. I wondered how he would feel about having his mom back there as it was my first time working back in his classroom. When I walked into his room for the hour I was needed, he was busily eating snack. When the teacher introduced me to everyone, Cody’s face began to BEAM. He walked over to me and laid his head on my side and said, “Mommy, I’m so happy you’re here.” When the other children would come up to sit on my lap or just be near me, Cody would look on in delight and then come up and lay his head on me and tell me again how happy he was that I was there. He loved just having his mom to share and help at the activities. The lead teacher that hour told the children about the Father’s Day present they were going to make for their daddies, and with great excitement she told them to take their seats at the table so they could all get started. I reiterated this to the children around me, and that is when the little girl sitting on my lap said something to me in a tone that broke my heart. She was a petite little girl wearing a polka-dot dress and had the most innocent beautiful eyes. When she turned to me her eyes looked so concerned and worried, and she said to me, “But I don’t have a daddy. I have a grandma.” as if she didn’t know what to do now. I answered with a wonderful response as I expected that to be the case for some children, but I heard the little girl tell the other teacher later as the teacher was unaware. Still the concern in this little girl’s eyes made me fight back tears later as I watched her. I looked over at Cody, and he didn’t seem to have a care in the world that morning. Everything around him felt safe, happy, and secure. Cody, Anna, and I are so blessed to have Shawn, and the reality hit me like a ton of bricks that morning. Thank you, Shawn, for your faithfulness and love you give to us.