The 8 Year Gap

For those of you expecting Heather’s normal wit and charm, please don’t be disappointed.  It’s Father’s Day so it’s my yearly opportunity to post on Team Hucks.

Today is the third Father’s Day that I get to celebrate as a Dad.  I’ll have to say they get better every year.

But for 8 years, this day meant very little.  I lost my dad to an ugly battle with cancer in January of 2003.  For 8 years I had no father here to celebrate this special day.  For 8 years I had no children of my own to make this day relevant so it was just another Sunday.  For 8 years, the highlight of Father’s Day for me was the final round of the US Open.

As I look back on those 8 years, I wonder…  Did I waste them?  Did I pout because it did not have much meaning without my father here or children of my own?  Did I take full advantage of that yearly reminder that I have two fathers in heaven that I should celebrate every day, not just today?  I don’t think I did.

So I say to all of you, no matter what your situation, be grateful for the opportunity to celebrate Father’s Day in some capacity.  Whether it is honoring or remembering your dad.  If you are adopted, remember you have two fathers, one that created you and one that raised you.  Whether your dad was not around to help raise you or he taught you everything you know, we all have a heavenly father that loves us, watches over us and has laid forth a plan for our life.  Be grateful.

If you follow Team Hucks you know Tucker’s story and the progress he has made.  It’s an amazing feeling as a father to see your own self in him.  It’s awesome to see him gain interest in certain things (we put a basketball in his hands every day J).  It’s truly a blessing to watch him grow up and develop his own personality and thanking our heavenly father every day for the gift he is.

So far, my favorite part of today was hearing him run into
our room shouting “Want to see Daddy”.  It’s funny how life changes and something as simple as that means the most.

So as he continues to grow, I make a promise to him to be the best father I can be.  I promise to pass along all of life’s lessons my dad taught me so that Paw Paw Mickey will always be a part of his life even though they have never met.  I promise to not let Father’s Day Sundays pass without being grateful for him. I promise to tell him every day how much I love him and how much God loves him. I promise to be his Father.