A Little Girl Needs Daddy by Author Unknown

A Little Girl Needs Daddy

A little girl needs Daddy
For many, many things:
Like holding her high off the ground
Where the sunlight sings!
Like being the deep music
That tells her all is right
When she awakens frantic with
The terrors of the night.

Like being the great mountain
That rises in her heart
And shows her how she might get home
When all else falls apart.

Like giving her the love
That is her sea and air,
So diving deep or soaring high
She'll always find him there.
--Author Unknown

I don't remember whether I've shared this with all of you, but I couldn't find it anywhere in my blog, so I thought it would be appropriate to write it up and post it this Father's Day.

A few years ago, I saw a representation of Jesus wearing a white robe in heaven. As I looked at the image with the eye of a costumer, I was dissatisfied. The symbolism of Jesus in heaven wearing white was fine, but the cut of the thing was all wrong. The shoulders were set in funny so His arms looked like they were coming out of the front of His collarbone. The wide, bell shaped sleeves didn't come all the way down to His wrists, so it looked like the thing was simultaneously too big and too small for Him.

I realized at the time, that fashion was hardly the point of the thing, but still, I got to wondering what I would rather see Him wearing. Sure, there's another variation of the white robe, possibly accented by some sort of colored cloth over the shoulder -- you know, the sort of thing you see Him wearing in all the pictures we see every day. But could I imagine Jesus wearing blue jeans? How about swim trunks? An old beat up sheepskin jacket? Hiking boots? A three piece suit and tie? It sounds silly, and you might be sitting there shaking your head, thinking, "No, of course not." But I realized, Yes, I could.

You see, I've seen my Dad, one of the most Christlike people I know, wearing all these clothes. If Jesus was here, wearing his white robe, it would get all stained and torn when he crawled under a car on a winter night to lie on the freezing pavement and fix it so that somebody could have a way to get to work in the morning and feed their family. It would get caught on bushes and get in the way of running if Jesus were to wear the white robe to Scout Camp (it's also totally inappropriate garb for the make-your-own-boat race). It would never do to wear something like that while playing in the waves and sand at the beach in California, or to play a pickup game of football at a family picnic. These days, it would look out of place to wear to the office or out onto the factory floor, but those are places you need to go if you're going to feed a family.

If Jesus was here, He might be able to wave his hand and make all the cars fix themselves, and multiply loaves and fishes so nobody would have to work for food again, but I don't think He would. I also don't think He'd pass up the opportunity to play games, enjoy nature, or be a mentor to boys (or girls) who really need somebody to look up to.

I owe a lot to my Dad. He taught me about Jesus by reading the scriptures, and by telling and acting out the stories, but he taught me more by living a good life, and trying to be kind. I'm sure (because I've spent time with Grandpa Jesse) that Daddy must have learned a lot from his father, and I owe him a gigantic debt of gratitude as well. I know that Grandpa Roly gave his all to his family and his church callings, and my life has been blessed both by observing his example and by having such a great mom (his daughter). My husband Peter is kind and forgiving, and though he may not always be paying attention and noticing things (I love you ^_^), he does see when I really need help, and supports me when I'm sad. He's shaping up to be a great Daddy for Elizabeth, and I'm excited to see that relationship grow.

Let's all tell our fathers how much they mean to us this Father's day. We're being reminded this week, with Grandpa Jesse at death's door that they won't be with us forever here on earth. But we know, through the blessings of the Temple, that we can be together forever -- and I'm so glad for that.