Let's Hear it for the Dads!

Here in Australia we are celebrating Father's Day this weekend. So I thought what a great opportunity this would be to give a shout out to one of the best dads I know. He is my best friend, my husband and the father to my precious baby boy, Hugo James. But he hasn't always been the best dad I've known...Gavin and I met 10 years ago in unexpected circumstances (isn't it always the way when God decides to drop a surprise bomb on you?!). Within a few months were were officially 'going out' (or whatever terminology you would like to use to suggest that he was now my main and only man), then after four months we were engaged and another five months we were married. Wow! What a whirlwind! Especially considering I was a happily independent 19 year old girl who had no intention of looking for a boyfriend AND I was adamantly against marrying young. Ha! Clearly God has completely different plans for me than I ever imagined.Having just celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary last month, the Gavin I knew for the first 8 years of our marriage was a different Gavin to the one I've been living with for the past 16 months. So what on earth has changed???I absolutely love the Gavin I married. Throughout the first 8 years of our marriage I can easily say, despite the trying and testing situations, I fell more and more in love with the man that I married and as I got to know him more, as we learnt to live 'as one' better and better, as we discovered how to work each others strengths and weaknesses to the benefits of our relationship (and still!). I felt honored to be this mans wife and was pretty proud to call him my husband.Discovering we were pregnant was one of the highlights of our marriage so far. But when this little person decided to grace our lives with his presence, I saw Gav in a completely different way.I discovered that this guy is an amazing father! You could say Gav was a very 'hands on' dad right from the start - he actually delivered Hugo at home, in the bath (read about it here). When Hugo was born, a side of Gavin that I had never seen before came into existence. Prior to this I only had beautiful images in my head and heart of how Gav would be as a father. Of course I had high expectations for him, but actually seeing him hold that baby that we had made together - a bit of him and a bit of me mixed up and poured into this life that we were now responsible for - was nothing less than breathtaking. Over the past sixteen moths of Hugo's life I have seen Gavin grow into this role of father in a strong, compassionate, loving, tender and selfless way.I have an extra special shout out to this great dad. I owe it to him for the life we live and experiences and opportunities we have because of him. Gav is a hard worker and a wonderful provider. Because of this I am so thankful and grateful that I am able to stay home with Hugo and be a full time mom. I know in the world we live in, in the craziness of this culture, in the financial burden of life in general, that having the freedom to stay at home and be a mother, wife and homemaker is an absolute blessing and privilege. Don't get me wrong, it's also a huge sacrifice and we have paid the price for this (I have another post brewing on this topic, stay tuned!), but it is a strong value that we hold and we were willing to do anything it took to make it possible.But this comes at a cost. Working a full time job during the day, coming home and working late hours into the night, happily pouring unpaid time and skills into other people's dreams and visions while putting his on hold, doing whatever it takes to be able to give his family the life that we desire. Yet at the same time having so much time for us and making us his number one priority - saying no to more money, greater financial security, no to potential career moves because his family comes first. This is the man that I love and adore! He is the husband whose wife can be confident in, whose children can rely upon to be there for them. Again, I am PROUD to be his wife and call him my husband and the father of my children!Are you fortunate enough to have a special man in your life who enables you to be able to stay home with your kids and be a full-time mom? Maybe in order to do this he has to spend long hours in the office or he has to travel a lot and is away often. Sometimes it's so easy to begin to resent his work and the time he has to spend away from home and the family. Not only do we need to take a step back and remember that he is doing it for the benefit of us, his family, but also be reminded that it's a struggle and sacrifice for him too. Do you think he wants to spend that much time away from his beloved family? Do you think he loves the burdens that work put in him and the pressure of the family finances on his shoulders? Of course not! He too is making a great sacrifice for the family, and on the difficult days where I just want to escape the tantrums, tiredness and chaos, I personally need to remind myself that it is because of his hard work and sacrifice that we are able to enjoy this life we live.Perhaps you too are so grateful to your husband for all he does so that you can stay home with your little ones. Perhaps you are grateful that your husband supports you to get out in the workforce and pursue your career and education. Perhaps you are grateful to your earthy father who made a way for you as a family when you were younger. Perhaps this side of your husband hasn't been unveiled as you are yet to have children. Perhaps YOU are one of these amazing, faithful, resilient, reliable husbands and fathers that we are talking about. Thank you! Thank you for all that you do! Thank you for the way you provide, thank you for your sacrifice, thank you for your hard work, thank you for your late hours, thank you for the precious time you give us as your family, thank you for the way you love us and care for us. You're a wonderful reflection of our perfect Father, and as we celebrate this essential role this weekend we stand and bless you for all you do to make this life possible for us, your family!Here's to the dads who make it happen for us all. Happy Father's Day!