Tanjoubi Omeretou Ottosan!

Tanjoubi Omeretou Ottosan!

Happy Birthday Daddy! *There fore be imitator of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.* Ephesians 5:1-2

There are many reasons why I love my Ottosan, my Dad. But I will give you TEN for today, his birthday.

10. My Dad is muy intelligent. He not only teaches his classes and shares information with them but he invests in their lives, learns from each student, and shares his own life learnings with them.

9. He loves my mother and continues to pursue her even after years of marriage. My favorite memory of my father loving my mother was when he celebrated a random anniversary (maybe first date or something?) I was ten or so and I remembered how my Dad wrote out the lyrics to "The Way You Look Tonight" and gave those to her with some flowers.

8. My Dad loves each season God gives him. He has been teaching me so much without even knowing it... but he has learned and lived through so much that with each season my Dad embraces it from God. His newest season is as Gampaw and buh-lieve me! He is loving it.

7. One time we spent ten minutes just making "scary faces" at each other over SKYPE video. I know that might sound ridiculous to you but silliness is a value of mine. I need to laugh often at myself and at life. My Dad and I were so thrilled to be able to see each other (via skype) that we just sat there and made faces with each other. It meant a lot to me to have "normal" weird time with my Pops. I miss our little silly interactions and usually SKYPE time is all business and catching up... so it was fun to have silly face making time with my Dad.

6. My Dad and I share the same odd toes. I love how weird and interesting our toes are. We have these baby toes that we can wiggle and we have the ability to freak people out with our toes. I love that we have that in common.

5. He lives off a diet of popcorn, cereal (shredded wheat is his fave), pretzels, and a bag of skittles now and then... oh yeah and licorice. He looooves nibs candy.

4. He is the perfect combination of what I love most in my Grandpa and Grandma Schupbach. He is fiesty, loyal, loving, kind, clean, thorough, giving, gracious, helper, and many more of the qualities i appreciate in my Grandparents.

3. He loves the Lord with all his heart, soul, and mind. He cultivates his body and mind to be the fullest it can be for God's glory.

2. He opened my eyes to reading. I have many fond memories of him reading C.S. Lewis to me as a child. He did all the voices appropriatly and never went too far ahead after I had fallen asleep.

2a. He is my earthly guide and advisor.

2b. He is my earthly protector.

1. He continues to be the physical example from my Heavenly Father of God's love for me.

Through the way my father loves me and loves my family I can see God's love for me and for this family.

The last email I received from my Dad expresses God's love so well, I thought... so I wanted to share it with you.

I see you.
In my mind and in my thoughts...

In my heart and in my affections...

In my secret thoughts and in my unguarded, crazy unprotected outbursts...

In my deepest vision and highest dreams...

In my sweetest memories and in the very best hopes I can imagine...

In my fun and in my laughter ---

which must be impoverished in your absence ---

In my every days, in my 'nowIlaymedowntosleeps'...

In all these "places of me" I see you;

I keep 'running into you' in my life... I pray for you;

I miss you...

I am for you.

I am behind you.

I am with you...

I love you.

Dad

I feel the same way about you, Dad. I love you and keep "running" into you...

Enjoy your birthday... until our next skype silly face date...

Your daughter.