How fitting that this Father's Day weekend was our first camping adventure of the season. My husband loves the great outdoors. It is his happy place. Our boys are so blessed to have a daddy like him. He is teaching them everything there is to learn about being a true man---a man of God and a man of adventure.
With such respect I watched him all weekend teach the boys things their mommy certainly couldn't impart. With patience and step-by-step wisdom he taught them how to build a fire. Not how to build it the cheater way with a fire-starter or a box full of matches, but the survivalist way...starting with a single match and a tee pee of tiny, dry twigs, then placing a larger tee pee of slightly larger twigs around the first, followed by medium sticks, and so forth, until the fire was ablaze. Later on, I watched as he coached each boy in archery, patiently making adjustments to their bows and dreaming aloud with them how they will soon be hunting by his side. When they tired of archery, he took turns playing Chucko or Golf Toss with the boys. Throughout the weekend, I watched as he cooked all our meals with a single-burner propane grill and calmly asked the boys to help with various chores. It seemed that he was constantly working...while, at the same time, teaching our boys to value work.
The next day, I watched as he carried our littlest one (who isn't so very little anymore) in the hiking backpack for an 8 mile hike without complaint. His example of quiet strength inspired the boys to hike without a whine escaping their lips (which is more than I can say of their mother). As I watched him hike I was reminded that his rugged outdoorsiness was one of the qualities that most attracted me to him when we dated. I loved hearing about all his hiking adventures in college and all over the world when he was in the Navy. I secretly prayed that I would meet his adventurous standards enough to be his bride, and I dreamed that someday we would have lots of kids and be one of those outdoorsy families who camped and hiked all the time. My prayer was answered about becoming his wife, and although I'm not sure we truly rate the outdoorsy family category yet, at least we are trying. And I think the fact that we're trying made this a truly happy Father's Day for my husband...
Here is instructor daddy teaching Campfire 101. Although you can't see it well in the picture, I love the fact that his Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, all worn and ragged, is peaking out of his shirt. To me, that is a perfect snapshot of who my husband is: humbly spiritual and a wild-at-heart outdoorsman
Here are my rugged men hiking to Cottonwood Lake. This section of the hike was quite unique. More than half of the trees in this area were dead and blown down from a fire and then a wind-storm years later. Piles and piles of trees were strewn as far the eye can see. Here and there you could find a few evergreens standing tall and bright, but those seemed to be the minority...
As I stared at the scene before me, the thought struck me that perhaps this is how God views the current state of humanity. It seems that more and more souls are falling into sin and casually living a culture of death. Things like abortion, contraception, divorce, and premarital sex are accepted by the masses. Even our government is trying to create a health care plan with a mandate which threatens to take away our religious freedom by forcing all insurance plans to cover immoral procedures that our taxes will pay for. It seems like those who stand up for a culture of life are the minority, just like those bright evergreens peeking through the piles of dead trunks. I am so proud of my Catholic Church and my husband who have been actively standing up against the HHS mandate, striving to remain faithful to Truth whether it's popular or not.
Here is my handsome husband in the background taking a well-deserved break while Nathanael takes a break of his own.
Joseph was a happy camper because he got to practice shooting his compound bow to his heart's content.
Michael takes after his mother and just loves to read with sunshine on his shoulders.
And Dominic was in Big Sky bliss because he could play Golf Toss from sun-up until sun-down.
Nathanael's favorite part about camping was sitting by the stream and throwing rock after rock after rock into the water.
He could have happily done this aaaallll....daaaay.....looooong.
When he wasn't throwing rocks into a stream, he contented himself with picking dandelions for daddy for Father's Day :)
And mommy was a happy camper with her favorite beverage in hand and knowing that her man was having a Happy Father's Day. I am so thankful that God blessed me with my husband, Paul, and my dad, Patrick, who embody the highest definition of fatherhood and strive to please their Heavenly Father in all they do. I pray that my sons grow up to be just like their father and grandfather someday (minus my dad's smoking habit, of course). :)
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