My Dad, My Hero

Many people who know me have not gotten the priviledge to meet my dad. I hope that one day you will all get the chance. See, my dad isn't just any kind of dad, he is a DAD. You may be thinking: capitalizing the letters doesn't make a difference LT. Well, in my opinion it does.. and it's my blog! :)  

The difference is this: so many men go through the motions of being a good "dad". They provide like they are supposed to, discipline when needed, and sometimes spend time with their children. Well, my dad did all of that and then some.

My dad has supported us spiritually, financially, emotionally and mentally ever since I can remember. He has done all of this through some pretty hard times too. He didn't pick and choose when he wanted to do, he just did it all the time. If I had to pick one stable thing that has never changed in my entire life, it would be my dad.

My dad (and shoutout to mom) have always been there for me. When I first started college I was extremely overwhelmed. I remember one morning I was bawling in the kitchen because I just couldn't take it. My dad had just moved back home after working up north for two years. Out of all the things he could have said, he said "I'm glad that I'm here now because I can help you through this". That was all that I needed to hear. He was one of the strongest supporters of me in school (and mom). I really don't think I could have done it without them.

Last April my dad accepted a job in Virginia. He took a huge step of faith and they moved over there. It was about four months later that I found out I would be moving to Chattanooga. None of this makes sense but hold on I'm getting there! If you know me well enough you will know that my dad is my hero. Honestly, I would not have moved to Chattanooga or even left the state of Michigan if my dad was still there. We are too close and I seek so much advice and guidance from him and love spending time with him. The Lord had told me that Virginia was not where I needed to go and I didn't understand why. It was within the next few weeks that God worked everything out for me to go to Chattanooga. The highest role played was God as He lead and prepared me to take a huge and gutsy role to leave everything behind and move, but I truly believe that He used my dad's step of faith to move to Virginia, to get me to Chattanooga.

There are so many things that I could say about my dad, that I almost feel this blog is a huge injustice. But I hope that I show these things to my dad everyday, and not just on Father's Day. Not enough words can say how much I value his advice, guidance and opinion. He makes me laugh and doesn't make me feel stupid when I have blonde moments. I could not have made it in Chattanooga if it wasn't for the pretty much weekly calls of "What do I do?" phone calls. I love you daddy. You're so special to me.

Oh, what a year.

Many of you know that I went home to Michigan a week ago to graduate with my Associate's Degree in Business Management. I decided to go up for a whole week so that I could have lots of fun and visit with many friends. As I started the 11 hour drive back to Chattanooga last Sunday, it hit me: a little over a year ago I was making this drive for the very first time.

I was accepted to be an intern at Precept Ministries International for the summer of 2011. After thinking through all of the logistics, my parents and I decided that the best way to get there would be to drive my car. I remember starting out the drive and being on the same road I was driving on last Sunday. I was so nervous; afraid of getting lost or my car breaking down on the way. I was so unsure of what to expect the next 11 weeks. Some adjectives to describe myself would be: nervous. excited. unsure. hesitant. clueless.

Spiritually I was not in the best place. I was really struggling with a break up I had gone through and letting go of that friendship in entirety. I wasn't walking with the Lord like I should have been. I didn't know this last year, but I had no idea who I was. Little did I know that the summer of 2011 was about to rock my world.

So many things could be said about the summer of 2011. At some point I will explain it all. However, the spiritual transformation that I experienced in my life continues to blow my mind. I remember exactly where I was when I confided to two of my closest friends that I really thought God was telling me that I couldn't go back to my beloved hometown, but instead had to move. All three of us were very confused and unsure if it was even God.

This takes us to three or four weeks later. I really felt like I needed to do my internship for the business program at school at Precept. Well, that would require moving back. But I told the Lord that if He gave me someone to talk to about it, I would talk about it and see what happens from there.

Awesome story made short, I left the internship just filled with God's peace, knowing that I would soon return to the Ministry that taught me how to study God's word for myself, and in essance totally flipping my world upside-down... In a good way of course!!

Six weeks after getting back to Michigan I was packing up my car, this time to move to Chattanooga. I had no where to live, no job, and no idea what I was doing. Now that my friends is a concoction for success. This move is what lead to the beginning of this blog and all of the struggles and triumphs I have gotten to experience.

Since moving to Chattanooga, I have made the drive back to Owosso about seven times. Driving back a week ago really hit me as I realized it had just been a little over a year since the first time I made the trip. I had no idea that my life was about to take a 180 degree turn. If you would have asked me what my life would look like in June of 2012, it would not have been even close to what it actually is.

It's been hard. hurtful. boring. fun. exciting. stressful. beautiful. So many lessons have smacked me in the face and made me get real with life. The girl who used to have a plan for everything is now the girl who takes it day by day and is usually sporadic and last minute. The girl I was used to hate the girl I am now. But I will tell you one thing: I have never felt so free!

To remind myself: take every moment for what it is. Don't get caught up in the grand picture, but enjoy the strokes that are painting the grand picture. Stay open to life opportunities that will rock your world. I don't even know who that girl is anymore because the changes in my life have been so great that I don't ever want to go back to who I used to be.

Oh, what a year it has been. 365 days have never impacted me as much.