The Sons I Never Had

This has been a very hectic two weeks. I have been driving back and forth from Columbus a lot. The birth of our third grandchild has been the main reason. She is a beautiful baby girl, whom I love dearly. Through all of this, I have realized how much I appreciate my sons-in-law – Conrad (Danielle’s husband) and Eric (Jona’s husband).

These two men are such great husbands to my daughters, and fathers to my grandchildren. They are truly like sons to me – and I love them so much. I watch them as they care for their daughters with such love and tenderness. They are truly men that I believe that God has sent to my daughters. From the time they were little, Molly and I have prayed for their future husbands. We believed that there were two little boys out there that would grow up to be perfect mates for our daughters. I believe that Conrad and Eric were those two little boys. They are direct answers to our prayers, and I am so proud of them and thankful for them.

I was also thinking of Mark and Rachel Miller. Rachel is my spiritual daughter. She and Mark are Wycliffe Bible Translators. They, along with their son Abraham, are presently living and working in Malaysia. As Rachel is our spiritual daughter, Molly and I also prayed for the right man for her. Mark is the answer to that prayer, and I’m so proud of the husband and father that he has become.

God has truly given me sons in my old age, and I am so thankful to Him for these young men. I am truly blessed.

 

Dad, I Thought About You Today

On Thursday, October 9th, it will be one year since my father went home to his reward.

I was in West Virginia last week. As I walked through the mountains, I thought about my dad. He loved the outdoors – especially hunting and fishing. Most of my memories of him rotate around those two things. Still, even now I will see something and think, ‘I can’t wait to get home to tell Dad’; then I will realize that I can’t.

It’s been a very sad time for me…thinking about my dad, and about how much I miss him.

My dad, Laymon Payne, left a legacy for me that I will carry for the rest of my life. So much of what I am today, I owe to him. He gave me his love for life and for family. He gave me his sense of humor. My dad saw things for how they were, not how he wished they were. I look in the mirror sometimes and see him staring back at me. When somebody tells me that I look like my dad, I take it as a compliment. My dad taught me that I could be tough, yet still be tender. He taught me how not to let life make me who I am, but to let the love of God make me who I am.

Dad,                                                                                                                                                                     I still miss you terribly, but I haven’t forgotten the life lessons you taught me. I haven’t forgotten that no matter how tough things are, there still must be laughter and love. I thought about you today when I looked into the eyes of my grandchildren. I was sad when I thought that they would never know you…but they will know you. I will tell them about you, and so will their moms and dads.

I thought about you today. The thing that means the most to me is to know that you were proud of me, and you always let me know that. Dad, I love you and I miss you, and I will see you again.

Your son,                                                                                                                                                            Steve