One Turned Back-A Father’s Laughter

Fake snow drifted down from the ceiling as a wannabe James Earl Jones read this droning poem about a Christmas miracle. Its cadence was so dramatic and Dr. Suessesque that its performance struck a deep chord of humor within my soul. The fact that others were dabbing their eyes and sniffling over the sentimentality only made it funnier. Thankfully when I am truly overcome by laughter I quietly shake, convulsions that could be mistaken for sorrow. Not so my dear husband. Even in his attempts to conceal his laughter, it could be heard over the electric violin girl’s solo. People turned around in their seats and shushed us. And we tried, but it is hard to take a bass reading a poetic equivalent of the “Christmas Shoes” seriously.

Chad’s laugh is one of my favorite qualities about him. It can be heard in a large audience and be easily recognized from the mass. It is hearty and booming and envelopes the room in a warm joke. It is easy to evoke, easy to join, and kind-hearted. And like many qualities modeled, I see it in my boys. I see it in Isaiah’s shrieks of laughter, Eli’s funny one-liners, Asher’s funny dances, and Gideon’s zany antics. They love to make their daddy laugh and he obliges. Musical snorts of laughter fill our house most days.

As I’ve watched Chad father his sons, I’m humbled and grateful that he is my partner in this Herculean task. I see each one of them look up to and want to be just like their dad. I think it is because he is quick to communicate his delight in them and who they are as humans. He is constantly reminding them that they are loved and that he enjoys being around them. He laughs at their jokes and watches their shows with them. He is selfless in his time. If his busy schedule allows a guy night, he’ll often invite his friends and their children over to play board games. He is the dad who brings the party!

I am thankful that he is the man that my boys see model godly manliness. It isn’t about sports, being outdoorsy, or handy. It is the character that wakes up in the middle of the night with compassion towards their nighttime fears. It is the character that wakes up cheerfully to go to work and returns cheerfully despite the demands placed on him. It is the character they see in him that makes him take his only day off in two weeks and drives four hours to attend a visitation. It is the character they see when he tells the world of how God has changed him and continues to change him.

As I turn back, I am so thankful to be married to a man who is a good father because he looks to the GOOD FATHER to guide his heart and model what it means to be a man.