In Honor of a Man of True Grit on Father’s Day

June 19, 2010

As I thought about writing this post to honor my husband on Father’s Day I tried to think of one word to describe him and the word Grit came to mind.

Grit –

is the ability to stick with a task and persevere over a long period of time,

even when the going gets tough, while keeping long-term goals in mind.

My husband has proven to be a man of true grit even at an early age. As a teen he and his girlfriend conceived a child together. All counsel from his family was to move across the country to live with his uncle rather than marry the girl and raise the baby.  He chose to be a husband and father at all cost. He worked two jobs to support his family only to have his wife commit adultery in less than a year. Jeff fought for and won custody of his daughter. To me this took great integrity on his part, even when no one encouraged him to do so.

A few years later after we married and we faced the death of our daughter, Jeff did things for me that were so humbling. He refused to leave my side those days in the hospital. As we walked through death and grieving he was a ROCK for me. It was also the first time I ever saw him cry.  Bereavement takes a toll on many marriages, but our loss of Mary Nicole bound our hearts together in ways that nothing else can. To this day I am amazed of God’s grace in our marriage considering that we did not begin our life together as Christians.

We’ve had lots of ups and downs, just like everyone does, but I have to credit Jeff’s grit in life as to why we are so happily married.  He doesn’t persevere because he ‘has to‘, it is because he wants to.

Jeff is a man that does the dirty jobs that no one else will and will rarely say anything about it. He is as loyal as the day is long. There is such a peace, a security in knowing that he is committed to me and our family, and that is because he is committed to God. I never have to worry about him having a wandering eye or going off on a whim uprooting us every few years.

There are times when he will work 10+ hours in 90 degree temperatures, come home exhausted and he’ll still get up in the middle of the night to go help put out a fire, work a car accident or cut trees after a storm as a volunteer fireman.  This comes with no pay and often no recognition. This is a man of  True Grit!

Although he is a man of grit, God has given him the gift of compassion and service. His heart is HUGE. He is so tender and has rarely ever spoken a harsh word to me, he truly treats me better than I deserve.

Jeff is a man that requires no expensive clothing, gifts or outings.  He could not care any less that his hair is turning gray and his truck is old.  He has no need to be entertained and his only hobby is his family. EVERYTHING he does, he does for his family. We have a few close friends that we enjoy being with, but he has no desire to ‘go out with the guys’.  He is perfectly content at the end of the day with a good meal and a good foot rub.

When our (then) teen chose to take a path of rebellion, and I crumbled under the pain, disappointment and fear, Jeff held me together.  He has listened to me cry, and fret over the future.  He has been the one that has been strong, secure in  his our faith. It’s been a long road but his grit has carried me.

Jeff is a man that does not talk his faith a lot, but he walks it boldly!!!

I heard in a sermon recently where the pastor told the young, un-married women (who think they can change a man), “The guy you think you are in love with, do you what your son to grow up to be exactly like him? Because more than likely that is what you are going to get!”

I’d have to say, I’d be THRILLED if my son ends up being just like his dad, A Man of True Grit!

Our children have grown up to know what loyalty, hard work and perseverance looks like. I don’t think they understand the depths of their dad’s grit yet, but they will one day. He is a good husband and a good father, I hope that neither of us will have to live without the other.

I love you Dear, and I am so thankful that YOU are the father of my children!

Topics: Boys!, Character Lesson, Family Tidbits | 5 Comments »