“The Race is not given to the swift nor the strong but unto them that endure to the end.” Ecclesiastes 9:11
Today My Dad turns 80 and He never quit! I know enough about my Dad’s story to know He came to crossroads in His life when He could have quit. Quit on God. Quit on his marriage. Quit on his kids. And Quit on himself. But He never did!
The life we live is a marathon and only those that endure Win. My Dad is the model of endurance. He has gone in and out of dark lonely valleys. He has scaled insurmountable mountains and journeyed through deserts. Through it all, he has come out the victor through his endurance. He is a living example of Galatians 6:9- “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
He is the most nonjudgemental and gracious man I know. He is quick to show grace and sees the redeemable in everyone. The grace He has experienced, he extends to others regardless of their current state. He has a welcoming spirit to all he comes into contact with. Regardless of politics, religion, age, socioeconomic status or ethnicity, He befriends them all.
He is the king of corny Dad jokes. No matter the season, He is quick with a joke to lighten the mood and bring a smile to everyone’s face.
He is a deep thinker and ponders great matters. He is a student of the Bible and Biblical thinkers. He has passed on to me lessons and keys of truth he has discovered in his life. I am richer for it, thank you.
Setbacks have highlighted His masculine work ethic. My Dad shows this maxim “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” He has accomplished great things in his personal life and career a few times over. Thank you Dad for this legacy and you’ll always be the strongest man in my book.
He sacrificed to make the lives of those around him better. One example of this is when he traveled 3hrs round trip to have lunch with me every week during my darkest days. He did this for over 2 years. It is such a practical example of the love He showed me as his Son. Dad I honor you and thank you for those times.
Happy Birthday Dad! You deserve the victors crown. You will always be a hero to me. I love you so much!
I will end with the famous Theordore Roosevelt quote that you are a living example of!
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. ”
I Love you and Happy 80th Birthday Dad
Love,
Troy