I have always thought that I am a fair mix between my parents. I mean, I am myself, I know that, and neither Mom nor Dad tried to make me like them (at least not in overt controlling ways), but I can see how I have bit of both of them in me.
My whole life I had people say “I saw you and your dad and you look so much alike” or “ Oh, wow you and your mom look so similar.” Obviously I don’t get the dad comments anymore (I wouldn’t want to look like him now, ha!), and anyway, I think it makes sense that as I get older I look more like my beautiful mother.
It isn’t just in looks though; I see my personality gets bits from both of them too. I have my mom’s dry humor, I think we are both generous and self sacrificing, and I also think we can both be quiet, sometimes withdrawn (perhaps not the exact right word), self sufficient and don’t need to be the center of attention, the leader.
As far as my dad goes, I make people laugh, I don’t mind being in front of a crowd and having all eyes on me (contradicts what I said in relation to mom, but I am can be either way), and I am good with kids (not that mom isn’t but if you knew my dad then you’ll get what I mean). But there is more…It was in conversation with my mom the other day that I realized another similarity with my dad I didn’t really know the full extent of. My dad wanted to go to Bible College. I think from what mom was saying, if he could have, he would have wanted to be in ministry full time but family, debt and probably some other factors prevented him from doing it, or at least made it hard to do and made it something he didn’t figure out how to accomplish.
I knew dad loved kid’s ministry and was the kids pastor at the church I grew up in, but I don’t remember ever being told/knowing that he wanted to go to college and study about it.
Well, here I am, on the other side of my degree, having gone to Bible College and wanting to be in ministry full time – like my father wanted to.
I did it daddy.
