What Makes A Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,

The majesty of a tree,

The warmth of a summer sun,

The calm of a quiet sea,

The generous soul of nature,

The comforting arm of night,

The wisdom of the ages,

The power of the eagle's flight,

The joy of a morning in spring,

The faith of a mustard seed,

The patience of eternity,

The depth of a family need,

Then God combined these qualities,

When there was nothing more to add,

He knew His masterpiece was complete,

And so, He called it ... Dad

Author........unknown

WHEN GOD MADE FATHERS

(Irma Bombeck)

When the good Lord was creating Fathers,

He started with a tall frame.

An angel nearby said, "What kind of a Father is that?

If you're going to make children so close to the ground,

why have you put the Father up so high?

He won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling,

play pretend drinking tea,

and kiss dollie goodnight,

tuck a child in bed without bending,

or even kiss a child without stooping?"

God smiled and said, "Yes, but if I make him childsize,

who would children have to look up to?"

And when God made a Father's hands, they were large.

The angel said,"Large hands can't manage diaper pins,

small buttons, rubber bands on pony tails,

or even remove splinters caused from baseball bats."

Again God smiled and said, "I know,

but they're large enough to hold everything

a small boy empties from his pockets

and a little girls paper dolls and jump rope,

and to teach her to turn cartwheels,

yet small enough to cup a child's face in them."

Then God molded long slim legs and broad shoulders,

"Do you realize you just made a Father

without a lap?" the angel chuckled.

God said, "A Mother needs a lap.

A Father needs strong shoulders to pull a wagon,

to balance a bicycle,

or to hold a sleepy head

on the way home from the circus."

When God was in the middle of creating the

biggest body any one had ever seen,

the angel said, "That's not fair.

Do you honestly think that form is going

to get out of bed early in the morning

when the baby cries,

or walk through a birthday party

without crushing one or two of the guests?"

God again smiled and said,

"It will work. You will see.

It will support a small child who wants

to ride to Branbury Cross

or scare mice away from a summer cabin ,

or walk in shoes that will be a challenge to fill."

God worked throughout the night,

giving the Father few words,

but a firm authoritative voice;

eyes that see everything,

but remain calm and tolerant.

Finally, almost as an afterthought,

He added tears.

Then he turned to the angel and said,

"Now are you satisfied he can love as much

as a Mother can?"

The angel said nothing more.

I would like to dedicate this page to the five Fathers

in my life.

First to my own father,

Patrick Scott, who I loved very much.

Next to my father-in-law, June Wagner,

who taught me the beauty of flowers.

Next to my husband, Barry Wagner,

who adopted my two children and

loved them as his own.

Next to my son, Chris Wagner,

who blessed us with two beautiful grandchildren.

and finally, My Heavenly Father,

who put these wonderful fathers in my life.

Heart Song

Once upon a time there was a great man who married the woman of his dreams. With their love, they created a little girl. She was a bright and cheerful little girl and the great man loved her very much.

When she was very little, he would pick her up, hum a tune and dance with her around the room, and he would tell her, "I love you, little girl!"

When the little girl was growing up, the great man would hug her and tell her, "I love you, little girl. "The little girl would pout and say, "I'm not a little girl anymore." Then the man would laugh and say, "But to me, you'll always be my little girl."

The little girl who-was-not-little-anymore left her home and went into the world. As she learned more about herself, she learned more about the man. She saw that he truly was great and strong, for now she recognized his strengths. One of his strengths was his ability to express his love to his family. It didn't matter where she went in the world, the man would call her and say, "I love you, little girl."

The day came when the little girl who-was-not-little- anymore received a phone call. The great man was damaged. He had had a stroke. He was aphasic, they explained to the girl. He couldn't talk anymore and they weren't sure that he could understand the words spoken to him. He could no longer smile, laugh, walk, hug, dance or tell the little girl who- was-not-little-anymore that he loved her.

And so she went to the side of the great man. When she walked into the room and saw him, he looked small and not strong at all. He looked at her and tried to speak, but he could not.

The little girl did the only thing she could do. She climbed up on the bed next to the great man. Tears ran from both of their eyes and she drew her arms around the useless shoulders of her father.

Her head on his chest, she thought of many things. She remembered the wonderful times together and how she had always felt protected and cherished by the great man. She felt grief for the loss she was to endure, the words of love that had comforted her.

And then she heard from within the man, the beat of his heart. The heart where the music and the words had always lived. The heart beat on, steadily unconcerned about the damage to the rest of the body. And while she rested there, the magic happened. She heard what she needed to hear.

His heart beat out the words that his mouth could no longer say ...

I love you

I love you

I love you

Little girl

Little girl

Little girl

And she was comforted.

By Patty Hansen

from Chicken Soup for the Soul

Copyright 1993 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

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