Saturday, June 17, 2006
The Blessing
My family is a blessing to me. There is something I have wanted to do for years. It is such a cool thing to be a dad and have the privilege of being able to pronounce a blessing over my family. So for the first time, I set the excuses aside, and ignored the awkwardness and moved ahead.
Here's how I did it... I brought my chair into the living room. (I always have the one chair at the dinner table.) One-by-one, I called the kids to take the seat. I stood behind the chair and put my hands on them and said a blessing over them.
My older daughter was visiting. She's married and lives out-of-state. It was great to have her there for this. I admit I got choked-up a couple of times over her.
I was secretly hoping that my son-in-law would be willing to participate, but until the moment came, I did not know how he would react. I love him as my own son, but he has a super-keen mind, he's got a great education, and I did not want him to feel like he was put in condescending position. But as I finished the blessing over my daughter, he edged up in his seat to come forward. It was my privilege to bless him, as well as the others.
Finally, I pronounced a blessing over my wife. She knew this day was coming, and has been supportive, patient, respectful and loving.
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4 comments:
Vic,
Hadn't even thought to look and see if you had your own blog for some reason.
What a great act of faithfulness as a dad. A great demonstration of your commitment to your children's well-being in every sense of the word.
Jen
What?!! Did you say, "Vic?" Who is Vic? The guy with the red cape and big "S" on his chest...not Clark, but Superman. The web-slinging dude...Peter? No--it's Spiderman. Vic is not here, Mam. (I hope my enemies do not see this and learn my secret identity.)
Yeah, now you think I'm a freak; it's okay. Thanks for the kind word. I shared my experience with close relatives this weekend, as well as church-mates, encouraging them to do the same.
One other thing this past week, is that I lowered the standard for doing family devotions. It used to be that if I didn't have great globs of time, or a profound lesson, I would do nothing. Now, I will strive to at least read a chapter from the Bible and open the day with prayer. We can boost quality any time, but I figure it will be beneficial to give priority to consistency.
Well, Citizen, give my regards to Dotter and Llama In Need.
Up, up and awaaaayyyyyy...
Who was that bearded man?
That night was so humbling and such a blessing at the same time. I am so grateful I was there...and how fitting it was right before Father's Day! Wes didn't feel it was condescending at all. He really enjoyed being included in it and loved being blessed by his father-in-law...something that has never occurred in his family before.
On another note, it was so awesome to do the handprints in the cement. I guess I've always felt more of a "guest" in your new home since I've never been able to live there with you all. I only know the apartment and it was really hard on me to know it wasn't somewhere I'd ever be able to return to. But the handprints...being able to physically participate and physically see the results really made me feel like I wasn't just a guest, I was a part of this home as well. (enter humorous comment: you know I'll always be a city girl, right?)
Thanks for last week. In spite of it being so busy for us, the time we spent with you all was incredible!
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