A few good dad-ism’s on Father’s Day

I love my dad.

He’s a great dad.  While growing up there were a few things that I heard uttered on more than one occasion.  Things said repeatedly.  Said enough to qualify as a dad-ism.

Here are a few quotable dad-isms, from my beloved dad, Matthew W. Anderson, and a few elaborations by me, his daughter:

1) “People are more important than things.”

(If I had a nickel for every time I heard this..)  Boy am I glad to have had this ingrained in my head.  Because it’s true, people are more important than things.  So hold on to your things very loosely.  Give them away.  Don’t cry if they get ruined.  Because people are more important than things.

2) “It’s wide open at the top.”

The world is full of people racing to the middle.  Or the bottom.  Mediocrity abounds.  So, if you’re willing to work hard and pour yourself into something worthwhile, you’ll discover that it’s wide open at the top.

3) “There isn’t anything that you can’t do.”

Wow!  I heard this often enough and with enough sincerity that I really believed it.  I didn’t look at any college major and think, “I better not try that, I”m no good at that.”  I really believed (and mostly believe) that there were no limits to what I could do, if I applied myself.

4) “Have babies when your young!”

Some people might flinch at that one, but there it is.  And that’s advice that I followed.  How’m I doing dad?

5) “Children are a blessing!”

Yep!  I agree!

6) “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a bandit, and want like an armed man.” Proverbs 6:11.

An especially useful verse for lazy teenagers.  And my dad used it fairly often.  (And still does).

7) “What you do to one side of the equation, you have to do to the other side of the equation.”

That’s one of DFAR (Dad’s Famous Algebra Rules) that I heard enough for it to make the list.  Thanks for the math help Dad!  I’m not too shabby at algebra, thanks to you!  And I’m sure there’s a metaphor for life somewhere in that rule, but my skills of simile are waning at the moment.

I’m thankful for a father who pointed me to our Heavenly Father and who is not only my dad, but a brother in Christ.

What memorable things did your dad say?

96 months and counting!

It’s our 96 monthaversary today.

For the math-challenged, that’s 8 years.

Ever since the first month of our marriage, we’ve celebrated our monthaversaries.  It’s really all Mr. TommyD’s doing.  I often forget it’s the 15th.  But then at the end of the day I’ll find a card on my pillow, or I’ll wake up with a note on the fridge or an email during the day, reminding me that it’s our monthaversary and saying something sweet.

I married up, what can I say? :)

8 years has simultaneously flown by and seemed like a lifetime.  I look at pictures of our wedding and think, who are those people??  They are so ridiculous.  They don’t know what they’ve gotten into.  It will be better and harder than they know.

I also look at our wedding day pictures and think, wasn’t that just a few weeks ago?  Then I get tugged on by one of our four children and realize that it was definitely *not* just a few weeks ago.

Being married to Tom is being married to someone who sees possibilities where I see roadblocks.  Someone who tries new foods and takes new routes to an old destination (preferably in a fast car), someone who wants to advance when I say, “Retreat!”

Being married to Tom is being married to someone who likes an old song, sung a new way and wants to see just how much gritty electric guitar he can get away with on Sunday morning service.

It’s being married to someone who is a risk-taker and an envelope-pusher in his work.  He wants to do things better, smarter and more efficiently than anyone else.  He’s someone who is becoming sure of the strengths God has given Him and wants to use them to his fullest ability.

And I’m almost none of those things.

So, for this risk-averse, change-avoiding, let’s-keep-the-status-quo, if-it’s-not-broke-don’t-fix-it, old-friend-preferring, nostalgic wife, I’m thankful for who God has made Tom to be.   And my life-long endeavor is to grow and not wane in my appreciation of our differences.

The Lord was wise and good to bring us together!