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Marriage

What He Really Wants For Father’s Day

Father’s Day–We are ready.   My JCrew employed daughter bought Mark some clothes.  My oldest daughter is flying in to surprise him.  We have written and will perform a song for him  to “What I Like About You.”  My dad is coming and a few others for Mark’s favorite dinner.  He will be happy that we went to a lot of trouble but when I read this I was reminded of what any dad, or mom for that matter, really wants from their child…

For years, I didn’t understand how someone could genuinely not need or want anything. But now that I’m a Dad myself, I totally get it. And if there was any lingering question left in me, my three year old drove it home last week when she gave me the greatest gift a child could ever give their father.

The girls and I were straightening up the house while Jen was at the grocery store. I put a load of towels in the washer and when I turned around to leave, Emmy was standing in the doorway. She didn’t say anything. She just looked up at me with sweet, “please hold me” eyes and reached out her arms. When I picked her up, she put her head on my shoulder and snuggled in close. We hugged in silence for a while. Then, in a quiet little voice, Emmy said, “Daddy…I love you.”

It felt different than most “I Love You’s” I get. It was as genuine as they come and it stirred my heart.

“You do? Tell me why.” I could see her wheels turning as she searched for the right words.

“Because… you’re beautiful.”

I laughed to myself. “You think so? What’s beautiful about Daddy?”

She sat up and said, “I like your beautiful shirt and your hair…and all the stuff you’re made of.” She smiled a quiet little smile, then laid her head back on my shoulder. We stood there again in silence for a minute more. Then she said something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. “Daddy, when I was still in heaven, I wished for a Daddy like you.”

Words fall short. What do I even say about that? My heart is melting all over again even typing the words.

To read more from this dad, Chance Scoggins, click here.

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