Tribute to Our Fathers

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to the many amazing men we are so lucky to have in our lives!! What a thankless job it is to go to work day in, day out-- punching that time clock simply to make sure all those material needs are provided for your families!! I have only known in my life the best examples of hard working, selfless, devoted fathers who love their wives and children, and who honor their priesthood. I am SO thankful for my own dad who showed me what kind of man to expect to marry, and for my husband who has worked SO hard to keep our little family afloat through thick and thin (but mostly thin!), and for his father who was such a great example to him as a young man- and still is.

One of the best examples of what kind of guy Jon is was when I was admitted to the hospital with pre-ecclampsia while 35 weeks pregnant with Lucy. I was lonely, scared, feeling VERY far away from home (we'd been in Philly about 2 1/2 months), had 0 friends, and Jon was in the midst of his first semester of dental school and FINALS. He came EVERY night without fail to visit me-- despite the horrible rush hour traffic from the city, probably didn't eat dinner for 4 weeks straight, studied round the clock to pass his tests, managed to keep me sane while on bed rest, and stayed up all night with me through labor only to leave 3 hours after Lucy was born to take a final. His support meant SO much to me, and I would literally count down the minutes from when he got out of class to when he got to the hospital because I was so excited to see him. He is such a GREAT husband.

"It is a joyous privilege and blessing, and a heavy responsibility, to be the father and the patriarchal head of a family, with the challenge to teach and prepare its members to go back into the presence of their Heavenly Father, where the family can continue to enjoy eternal life together."
-N. Eldon Tanner

"God bless you, dear fathers. May He bless you with wisdom and judgment, with understanding, with self-discipline and self-control, with faith and kindness and love. And may He bless the sons and daughters who have come into your homes, that yours may be a fortifying, strengthening, guiding hand as they walk the treacherous path of life. As the years pass—and they will pass ever so quickly—may you know that "peace... which passeth all understanding" (Philip. 4:7) as you look upon your sons and daughters, who likewise have known that sacred and wonderful peace. Such is my humble prayer, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen."
-Gordon B. Hinckley