A Cobra for Father's Day

Some may ask why anyone would give a father a cobra on Father's Day.  Yes, it was a real cobra.  For years, my husband has been willing to do the craziest things in the name of fatherhood.  During my pregnancy, he rushed out at midnight to retrieve the can of sloppy joe that the baby desperately needed (according to my cravings).  There was the time he had to brush my baby boy's mouth after he had confused our little Rat Terrier's doggy doo with a candy bar.  In his defense, they looked similar, and he was only 18 months old.  In my defense, it was doggy poo in my kid's mouth!  I couldn't handle it.  There were the times that he came up with last minute Halloween costumes or created school projects from his creative mind.  I remember one particular night that he had gone to school all day for his master's degree, worked a full shift at J.P. Morgan Chase, and then came home to do homework.  We had four children under the age of 5 years old and a stomach bug hit.  As a mom, you know what that means.  It spreads like cheap jelly.  First one child was sick, then the next.  I had gone through all the sheets in the house and had resorted to towels under each child.  They were too young to make it to the bathroom.  By the second day of little sleep, I was crawling from room to room.  This is when daddy stepped in and took over.  As Trenton fought a fever, Kyle slept on the floor next to his bed.  As children, he tirelessly sat through little league, T-ball, and any other sport our children had to play.  He listened to French horn music bellowing through the house like a sick cow.  Instead of sneaking out, he would bravely enter the front lines to give French horn tips and encouragement.  My husband has sat through choir concerts, cheered at volleyball games, and fundraised for club trips.  This is not just to brag on what a great father he has been.  I've heard so many mention how hard it is to endure this holiday because they didn't have a father, or their father was not a good father.  Matthew 7:9-11 mentions, "Which of you, if your son asks for bread, gives him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"  You may have no memory of a biological dad, but you have a heavenly Father that loves you more than anyone on earth.  Fathers on earth are flawed.  Even the good ones have their moments.  They may leave their dirty socks in every room throughout the house or fill the house with lovely aromas, then blame it on the dog.  Fathers are human.  No matter how great they are, they are not perfect.  But we have a heavenly Father who loved us so much that in His perfection, He chose to welcome us in His presence.  Us- with our flaws and imperfections.  His love bridged the gap so that we could feel accepted, valued, and wanted.  So on Father's Day, you have the greatest father in existence.  You couldn't ask for more.  

Thank you, Kyle for being a great father.  You are present in your children's life.  You love them unconditionally.  You are amazing!  Why the cobra, you may ask?  What other father received a cobra for Father's Day?  Kyle got a one-of-a-kind Father's Day gift because he is a one-of-a-kind father!

Have a great week high-heeled warriors!  Keep our family in prayer.  Tomorrow is the first surgery for our daughter, Megan.  Over the next two weeks, we will be staying at Arkansas Children's Hospital as she has brain surgery to try to free her from epilepsy.  Also, pray for the doctors.  Thank you for all of your support!  We will keep you posted!