A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children… Proverbs 13:22

This Father’s Day I honor my husband Dan as the father of our children. I want to thank him for the lifetime which he’s spent taking care of our family no matter what the circumstances and for his selfless concern for those he loves, especially our kids and now our beautiful grand kids.

God never guaranteed that life on planet earth would be a cake walk. We had a lot of years where our family portrait was more like a huge vat of cake batter dropping on our heads. It was very messy and painful, to say the least. I thank God’s grace and the love of Jesus for not only cleaning us up but for giving us a redeemed family.

Through everything, Dan never stopped being the best father he knew how to be. Like other men of his time, he is not very effusive and can seem distant. He is not a touchy-feely person, but in his heart resides a loving father. He respected and loved his own father whom he lost at an early age. That respect shaped how he tried to deal with our children no matter what.

Dan is a man of great integrity. I don’t know of anyone more honest or more generous. He never missed a day at his law office and rarely took time off for himself. On the contrary, he planned a lot of trips with his family. One memorable vacation was in 1986. Dan decided it was time the children saw the good old USA, Gabbert style. So we packed up our old Suburban and traveled the blue highways of this country from California to New York and back again. For six weeks, the kids listened to their Dad explain the geography and history of every point of interest along the way, and how the rivers flowed, especially whenever we crossed the Great Divide which was countless times. How many men and fathers would undertake such a “vacation” with two teenage girls and a rambunctious ten year old son inside a crammed vehicle, let alone have good memories afterwards!

When Lisa competed on swim teams, Dan used to walk up and down the swim lanes cheering her on to “Go, Lisa”! When she decided to go to Georgetown, he sold his beloved Mercedes sports car to pay for her first year there. When Laura rear ended two different cars in high school in the space of half an hour, Dan kept his cool. Mostly. It was after all his birthday! When Chris decided to go to university, he studied law, just like his Dad. He has the same mind which pays attention to details, which can ignore what is irrelevant. Father and son still talk shop on legal cases.

The legacy that Dan passes on to our children is a rich one from the past but it is infinitely richer now. There is no denying that Jesus has made a difference in me and in him. We’ve been given a second chance as parents and grandparents. I believe that Dan, as Dad and Poppi is living witness that God is Father and God is Love!
Happy Father’s Day, Dan!