20 June 2016

My dad, the rescuer

On Saturday, we spent the day in Chatham with my family to celebrate Father's day. In the evening, Matthijs flew out of Windsor airport. Just as I was leaving for the car, Matthijs came running out. As he was going through security, he'd discovered that he didn't have his computer with him. Perhaps it was still in the car? Otherwise, he most likely left it at my father's house.

A call to my father confirmed that, indeed, he'd left the computer at my dad's house after he'd rescued it from our very hot car. It was comforting to know exactly where it was, but frustrating to realize that he'd have to figure out how to make do without a computer in the next while.

Nonetheless, one part of the conversation with my father stood out to me. When he realized we'd left the computer, he was ready to drop everything and immediately drive the hour to the airport to bring it to us. Matthijs' plane was leaving in less than an hour, so there wasn't time, but I was reminded again of how my father shows his love to us through his willingness to rescue us.

Over the years, that rescuing has often involved cars (and not even mine). I drove an old car for quite awhile, and it got to the point that if I ever called my father's cell phone, which happened about every 6 months, he'd ask what was wrong with the car. Thankfully, my current car, which my dad also helped me buy, is a bit more reliable (thanks also to my aunt and uncle for selling it to me!).

My family is not really all that vocal about how we love each other. We don't even hug each other that much. So sometimes it's hard to recognize how we love each other. Yet, the willingness to help each other out and be there for each other - something my dad has been doing for all of us for years - tells me he loves me in a way that even the most flowery of words couldn't.

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