Earlier this month was my father-in-law’s birthday. I want to take a moment to write about a few of the reasons I am so thankful for him.
I am thankful that he is so diligent about his commitment to the gospel. He never wavers on this. He serves willingly in his callings, and he has even travelled across the world, to Romania, where he is currently serving on a mission. Because of his example, my husband has learned to be a faithful and diligent member of the church.
I love how he handles the ups and downs of life without showing discouragement. Both he and Peggy always have a “everything will work out all right” attitude. One of my favorite stories about them is when they had lost their home, and they had a few weeks before they could get into a new place. They had no where to go, so what did they do? They took their kids camping! All of them! They literally lived in the mountains for weeks. Now, many other fathers who had these financial trials may have let themselves sink into depression, but not Bob Sr. My hubby, Bob, has fond memories of this camping “trip” with his family. That is a trademark of Bob Sr., he just keeps doing his best with determination, no matter what life deals out.
He taught my husband how to fix things, to think critically and analyze every situation with intelligence, and to love learning. Bob and his Dad love to learn about everything. Bob has told me how he and his Dad would read National Geographic magazines, and talk about all sorts of subjects. Bob Sr. does love to read, and he has so much knowledge about all sorts of subjects. And, if he doesn't know something about a subject, he'll certainly never let on that he's not an expert! ;)
I am thankful that he is so diligent about his commitment to the gospel. He never wavers on this. He serves willingly in his callings, and he has even travelled across the world, to Romania, where he is currently serving on a mission. Because of his example, my husband has learned to be a faithful and diligent member of the church.
I love how he handles the ups and downs of life without showing discouragement. Both he and Peggy always have a “everything will work out all right” attitude. One of my favorite stories about them is when they had lost their home, and they had a few weeks before they could get into a new place. They had no where to go, so what did they do? They took their kids camping! All of them! They literally lived in the mountains for weeks. Now, many other fathers who had these financial trials may have let themselves sink into depression, but not Bob Sr. My hubby, Bob, has fond memories of this camping “trip” with his family. That is a trademark of Bob Sr., he just keeps doing his best with determination, no matter what life deals out.
He taught my husband how to fix things, to think critically and analyze every situation with intelligence, and to love learning. Bob and his Dad love to learn about everything. Bob has told me how he and his Dad would read National Geographic magazines, and talk about all sorts of subjects. Bob Sr. does love to read, and he has so much knowledge about all sorts of subjects. And, if he doesn't know something about a subject, he'll certainly never let on that he's not an expert! ;)
He has a great sense of humor, and that is one of the first things I noticed about him. From the time when he was convincing me that you really needed to "scratch" chickens to get them to lay eggs, to all the other times when he makes jokes with that serious "poker" face, then breaks out into his great smile, he can always make us laugh.
He knows how to have fun. He really enjoys spending time with his family. I love the memories of eating popcorn while playing cards, or watching him ride mountain bikes, light fireworks, or float the river right along with his kids. I don't think he's really realized that he's "grandpa" age.
He is a wonderful Grandpa. He is loving to all of our children, but never overbearing. I have often noticed his special gift of being able to appreciate each one of his grandchildren’s unique personalities. That is especially difficult when you have around 50 grandchildren, but he relates to each one of them in a way that shows that he understands them and appreciates them for who they are. I’m so grateful that he is a good example of a righteous priesthood holder for all of my children. And they love how he often sneaks them treats (like black licorice to Courtney when she was only a few months old!)
I love to see how he and Peggy have managed to raise 14 children! It is a challenge, but they have found joy in raising their children. I know that they didn’t plan on having this many children, but they kept feeling again and again, that there was “one more” child that needed to come, and they sacrificed so much to raise these children in a loving home, with the gospel. I feel like I have a lot of children, and I only have one more than half of what they had! Because of that, I know he will understand why I am posting this a few weeks after his birthday, instead of on his birthday. And that is another of my favorite things. He and Peggy never judge us or place stress on us. We always feel loved and encouraged by them.
I am so grateful that he is my father-in-law, and I love him very much!
I love to see how he and Peggy have managed to raise 14 children! It is a challenge, but they have found joy in raising their children. I know that they didn’t plan on having this many children, but they kept feeling again and again, that there was “one more” child that needed to come, and they sacrificed so much to raise these children in a loving home, with the gospel. I feel like I have a lot of children, and I only have one more than half of what they had! Because of that, I know he will understand why I am posting this a few weeks after his birthday, instead of on his birthday. And that is another of my favorite things. He and Peggy never judge us or place stress on us. We always feel loved and encouraged by them.
I am so grateful that he is my father-in-law, and I love him very much!
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