Father's Day Treasures

This past Sunday brought not only celebrating the Blessed, Holy Trinity, but it also gave us a chance to celebrate Father's Day. Not only do I thank my heavenly and spiritual Father for my earthly and biological father, but I also thank Him for His gift of making me a father. What joys!

And then there are those "Father's Day Treasures." One of this year's treasures finds its beginning in a mass email promotion from Apple some weeks ago. It promoted and urged dutiful children to get dad an iPad for Father's Day. Great, I thought. (I'd love an iPad.) This will be fun, I also thought. So I forwarded the ad on to my dear, devoted, loving children. One is in college, and has absolutely no money. The other just graduated from high school, has some money in the bank, but that won't last long once he begins college in the fall. It was only a humorous little hint. Meant only to have some fun. Really!

Dutiful, devoted daughter simply replied, "Ha!" - as in "That will be the day, Dad." Dutiful, devoted son ... well, he didn't reply at all. (What did I say about the joy of being father?)

Until Father's Day! Here's the "iPad" that my son gave me for Father's Day (with, I'm told, the helpful suggestion from one Pr. Alan Sommer, good friend since our own college days in the mid-80s):

Something tells me that I won't have to worry about calling tech support, and it would seem to have a great anti-theft system.

And the second Father's Day treasure this year finds its origin at the top of the St. Louis arch on Tuesday, June 14. Enjoying the arch experience with the Sommer family, we happened to see a gentleman wearing a T-shirt with a slogan from one Mark Gungor, who is known for his "Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage" seminars. As Mark Gungor aptly points out, we men have something called a "Nothing Box" and we love to retreat to it as often as possible. (Check out this 5 minute video for Mark's introduction to men's brains, women's brains, and the "nothing box." The "nothing box" comes at about 3:20, but the whole thing is well worth watching.) That's why when wife or children ask what we're doing, chances are pretty good that we'll answer, "Nothing." They may wonder how we can do "nothing," but we men know the joys of our "nothing box." So, my second Father's Day treasure looks like this:

Thanks, dear, devoted children for these wonderful treasures! Thanks, heavenly Father, for Your undeserved grace and mercy in giving me a father and making me a father!

Now, time for that nothing box ... at least for a couple of hours before this evening's Divine Service.