I love watching my grown sons be daddies to their daughters. My oldest son has three daughters (one son) and my younger son has one daughter. There is something incredibly beautiful about the father-daughter relationship that starts right at birth and when done well, carries a girl into adulthood with intact security and a strong sense of her identity.
I have watched my sons glow with pride with a simple look at their daughters; I’ve witnessed them play and be silly until my granddaughters are squealing with delight. I’ve witnessed their patience and gentleness. I’ve been in awe of it all. Are these really the two rambunctious boys I raised, now such loving daddies to girls?
I never had a father like they are to their daughters and perhaps that is why I notice it so much and am so appreciative of it. Where did it come from, this love that they have for their little girls? It’s obviously not just a given. Many fathers do not love their daughters (or sons). Mine didn’t. Some fathers, like mine, view their daughters as ‘less than important than a boy,’ and much worse. So where does it come from?
A lot of it is a mystery to me. God’s grace has reached down into our family and did something more than I could have even imagined. I know my husband and I tried our best to instill our love into our sons; we were far from perfect (I cringe thinking of some of my parenting blunders) yet I do believe they knew that they were loved. Love has an amazing ability to multiply. In fact, that may be what it does best. Multiply. I never dreamed that while I was trying to show my sons love that it would multiply in such a way that the generational curse in my family, of fathers not loving their daughters, would be broken. But it is. It’s broken. My sons love their daughters. I am humbled to have played my role. I am blessed when I think of what that will mean for my granddaughters. I’m happy that I get to be a partaker in watching it happen.
Love is truly far more powerful than we can ever imagine. Love multiplies.
Gloria blogs and writes creative non-fiction, poetry, and fiction/memoir from her prairie home in southern Sk. Easter is her absolute favorite celebration of her Risen Lord and King. You can find some of her less recent writing at www.gloria.guest.wordpress.com
photo credit Julie Huard
Dear Gloria, this is a tenderly written post pointing us to the One who is love and who multiplies it through His only begotten Son. Thank you for sharing from your heart. It's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteBlessings ~ Wendy Mac
Thank you for your reflection on fatherly love, Gloria. Your sons are blessed to have parental love shown to them as an example which they are now passing on. This is the part that stood out to me ... "Love is truly far more powerful than we can ever imagine. Love multiplies." And I'm so glad it does!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful portrayal of love, Gloria! It shows how God can break the bonds we've grown up with. The Lord blesses you for being part of the transformation.
ReplyDeleteI love this post. Some fathers aren't able emotionally to love their little girls. In my case, Dad drank and Mom nagged. Our house was like cold-war Germany. The counter was marked off and we never sat at his end of the table. Mom told us not to talk with him and when we did, she wanted to know what he said to us. And it was my mom's example which made me decide to stay single.
ReplyDeleteThat’s beautiful Gloria. I feel so thankful that you can witness this in your family!! ❤️❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful and honest post, Gloria. I do believe that girls need that kind of love from their fathers.
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