So today is Father's Day. My girls are currently with their daddy, so I am spending some time in thought about my own father and what this week means and holds for me and my siblings. There are 6 of us. Ben, Chris, me, Alicia, Alan and Caleb. This week is big for me. Probably big for all of us. Our beautiful mother is getting married. Our dad has been gone for 4 years and almost 3 months. As much as none of us want to forget that day and the days following, it is hard not to be incredibly happy and grateful for where our good God has brought our mum. She had worked hard all of her life. She has never stopped praying for us and we in turn have watched her go through an eternity of life in her years. I remember so clearly on the day of her mothers' funeral (my grandma Van Voorst) how the pages of the bible were blown open to the verse about being a virtuous woman... A woman who would share the very clothes from her back. A woman who loved, who lived, who prayed, and never forgot the great God from whom she was formed.
Today as I think back on the life of my father and the life of my new Stand-in "father" I must admit that I am blessed.  He loves my daughters like his very own. He loves my mom, makes her smile and accepts the rest of us crazy Van Der Brinks as his own. He does not judge. He hugs me tight. He kisses my cheek. He is hairy. He makes us laugh. We accept him just as he is. God made him just right for our mom at this moment in her life. And I wouldn't change a thing. Happy Father's Day dad. Happy Father's Day Ward. Welcome to our family and thank you for your love and acceptance.
Blessings to you this week as you marry my mom!