Father's Day

Father's Day is a day to celebrate the dad's in our lives.  Unfortunately, my dad will be celebrating his 10th Father's Day in heaven and Jared will be celebrating his 2nd.  I'm sure they are celebrating together, saying few words.

Steven and I are of course sad that Jared is not here to celebrate Father's Day with us but instead of ignoring the day, we will celebrate by making new memories to honor Jared.  We could chose to focus on the sadness, the heartache, and the sorrow or we can chose to remember and be thankful for the Father's Days we did get to celebrate with Jared.

This year we are celebrating Father's Day by checking off another box on our “must see” list.  Jared always wanted to see Montana and Wyoming, so Steven and I are seeing it for him.  And even though Jared is no longer physically with us, he is still a part of our lives.  We talk about him as we hike, ride horses, and sightsee.  He is always with us even though we can't see him in the pictures.  He will continue to be part of our memories and adventures.

Last year, I wanted to forget Father's Day.  Celebrating the day just intensified Jared's absence.  But we didn't ignore the day, we celebrated with friends who are like family and who made a point to toast Steven's dad even though he wasn't sitting at the table. And that's when I realized Steven needed to celebrate his dad.  Celebrate the 10 Father's Days he did get to spend with Jared and to always remember how much his dad loved him and was proud to be his dad.  I want Steven to always know that he  will continue to celebrate his dad on Father's Day even though or maybe because Jared is in heaven.

Father's Day is a bitter sweet day for us.  We wish with all our hearts that Jared could be to celebrate this special day just for dads.  But since he cannot, we will raise a glass and share a toast to him.  We will share memories of past Father's Days and feel grateful for the time God gave us with Jared. We will share memories of special days and the ordinary days and remember that as long as we remember and talk about Jared, he is never truly gone.  Steven and I will always celebrate Jared because even though he is heaven, he is still Steven's dad.  And we will always be thankful that he was and continues to be a part of our lives.  

Happy Father's Day Jared, we love and miss you.

Celebrate the dads in your life...especially the ones who are no longer here to celebrate with you.