My Dad -- or “My Pa” as I liked to call him,  as it was our inside joke from a cartoon when I was young -- has always loomed larger than life to me.When I was little, I can remember walking with him and simply holding onto his pinky finger – his sausage fingers, he would say.Dad gave us a wonderful childhood full of summers at the lake and trips to Mexico and Hawaii.I was so proud of my father, the judge, and remember the first time I sat in as a court reporter in training and heard him at sentencing time.Ooh, I remember that tone of voice.The softer side of Dad was his fantastic sense of humor.He loved to tell the newest joke he’d heard.

As an adult, I would visit Mom and Dad in Texas.Dad and I had a fondness for wine and would sit and chat about his childhood and law years.How special that is to me now!I especially enjoyed watching the love displayed between he and my mom through the years.What an incredible example of enduring love.

My Dad was 72 years old when he went on the Walk from Emmaus down in Texas.He called me afterward to let me know he had accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior.I remember saying, “That’s so awesome!We’re going to see each other in heaven!”

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Today I rest assured in that promise of eternal life.Thank you, Jesus.

I love you, Pa.