Like Father, Like Son

On Father's day I wrote a blog about my dad, actually for my dad. For the past several years he has had a lot of difficulty with his hearing and it is almost impossible to communicate much beyond a greeting. I wanted him to read my thoughts about him. I've also been thinking a lot about him because he is having some serious health problems. Yesterday I caught myself doing something that I must have picked up by observation, or maybe it's built into my genes. I picked up a magazine and started reading it from the back to the front. Why would I do that? Because that's how my dad reads a magazine. I have found myself doing this over and over again. I have never asked him why he does that. Why do I? Another interesting thing that has stuck with me for my entire life is the idea of not littering. From as early as I can remember, my dad always told me, "use the trash can". "If you have a gum wrapper to throw away, and there isn't a trash can nearby, put it in your pocket and throw it away later." To this day, I cannot roll down my car window and throw anything out, even a gum wrapper.

Here's another interesting one, when we were driving, and my dad made an unusual driving maneuver, like passing a car on a two lane road, or speeding up to get away from someone, or having a rare moment of road rage, after the incident was over, he would always cough. Guess who else does that? Yup, I have caught myself time and time again coughing after a driving maneuver that was out of the ordinary. I remember my sister Lori, after doing something just like my dad would, telling me in frustration, "I'm just like dad." It must have been something she would have liked to change. In other blogs I've told you about "sweeping the street", "dressing up" and other ways that I have imitated my dad, either because I wanted to or because that is the way it is.

Ephesians 5:1-2 says Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Just like I have imitated my dad in so many ways, good and not so good, how much more do I want to imitate my heavenly Papa. Oh Lord, help me to walk so close to you that I pick up your mannerisms, your character, all the things that you want me to be. May someone say, "he's just like his Dad."