Teaching Taylor

I grew up in a small town. I think the population when I was growing up was like 750 people or so. I graduated with around 36 kids. If I graduated with you and I’m wrong, I’m sorry. I forget things easily, just ask my husband.

My parents raised my brother and I in a house on some acreage and instilled values of having a good work ethic and being kind to others. We grew up going to a church literally 5 minutes from our house where my parents encouraged us to serve and attend Sunday school. I’ll have to tell you guys about serving at the lutefisk suppers at a later date. My parents also had a camper on a family lake lot where we went as much as we could. Right next to our camper was our grandparent’s motorhome. Which meant endless cookies and treats from grandma and grandpa.

At this lake lot, my dad taught me how to fish. He would tie the hook or the spinner bait on for me. Probably more times than I can even remember. He would bait my hook, take the fish off for me, help me with everything I needed until I was comfortable enough to do it on my own. Once I knew what I was doing, we spent hours in the boat casting the white and red spinner baits to see who could catch the biggest bass. We would spend that time talking about everything and anything.

This is also the place where my dad pulled us on the tube behind the boat for hours and hours. He would make circles upon circles on that lake pulling us and our friends on tubes. He would pull us up and out of the water and plop us back on the tube after a nice wipeout more times than we did for ourselves and just keep going until we couldn’t hang on anymore.

When my dad wasn’t teaching me to fish and pulling us on tubes, he was working long hours running his own business. Running his own business meant he was busy a lot, but that never stopped him from making time for us kids. My parents always made sure we had family time and made sure us kids were able to do or have what we needed. The older I get, the more I realize how lucky I truly was to have that in life. My dad put septic systems in, landscaped, moved dirt, and did plumbing and heating projects for houses. That meant I had access to some equipment in the yard and dump trucks to ride in with Dad whenever I wanted.

One of my favorite equipment memories is when Dad FINALLY let me drive his Bobcat skid steer. I felt so cool as a kid driving around the yard in that thing. I can’t remember if it was the first time or the fifth time I was in the skid steer, but that detail isn’t important. What is important is that I felt so confident in that machine that I got a little careless and backed myself right up into a tree. I can’t quite remember how fast I was going or how it happened, but I do remember making a dent in the back door of the skid steer. Instead of Dad getting upset, he grabbed a hammer and we worked on fixing the dent together. I probably deserved to be grounded for that one.

This wasn’t the only instance where I did something that caused some form of damage to equipment or a toy we had in the yard. While snowmobiling, I ran into my brother’s snowmobile when he was leading the way. I’m pretty sure Dad just shook his head and reminded me that red brake lights means someone is slowing down and that means you also must slow down. What a concept, huh? While we’re talking about snowmobiles, I should also mention that my dad dug me out of snow piles more than he should have. He’d come home from work and there I would be stuck in the snow and he’d drop what he was doing to help. I’m sure I could get out of that pile on my own, but having Dad help was always better.

My Dad and I also were able to bond over the sport of wrestling. He started coaching the sport when I was in 4th grade. He encouraged me to give the sport a try, so I did. He sat mat side and coached me through two tournaments (I think it was two) before I decided it just wasn’t for me. I wasn’t very good, but he was still so proud of me for giving it my best effort. When I entered 7th grade, I decided maybe I could take stats for the team. We spent the rest of my high school career every winter at wrestling practice, matches and tournaments together. Wherever Dad went, I followed with my red stat book in hand. I couldn’t tell you the amount of Mt. Dew we drank, Peanut M&Ms and Taco in a Bags that we ate together at those events but those are some of my favorite memories with him. Seeing my dad as a coach was such a cool experience. He truly impacted a lot of people in that role and to this day I am still so proud of him for that.

Dad and I hunted together a lot too. I’m surprised we ever saw anything because I cannot sit still or be quiet, but somehow we managed to see deer. He was there when I shot my first deer which he entered into the big doe contest at our neighbor’s place. I won that year and got a picture of myself and my deer framed as part of my prize. My dad and stepmom proudly display that picture of me and that doe in their house today, which makes me smile every time I see it.

There is so much more my dad did for me as a kid and continues to do for me as an adult. (Like the time he drove me and my two friends to a Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift concert and SAT through the entire show. Or the time I called him at 1 am because I heard a mouse in my house and needed help, but I didn’t want to call Devon when he was on the road working because it was too late.) I share these things because I truly know how blessed I am to have a dad like this. A dad who is walking with me every step of the way. I have people in my life who have lost their dad, don’t have a relationship with their dad, or they have never met their dad and I know that the life I get to live with my dad right by my side is a true blessing from God that I don’t take for granted.

One of the best things I get to see now as an adult though, is the love my dad and my husband have for one another. They love the same things and can talk for hours about the hobbies that they have in common. They can fish together, hunt together, move dirt together, and I JUST LOVE that so much.

For those of you reading this who are missing your dad today, who are longing to speak to your dad, who feel hurt by your dad, or who wish to know your dad, I see you and I’m praying for you and your heart today. Days like Father’s Day can remind us of so many things, good or bad, and I hope you can find peace and comfort wherever you are at with those feelings.

I truly don’t think I’d be who I am today if it wasn’t for my dad (and my mom, she’s amazing too!) He encourages me, loves me, reminds me of what is important in life and truly just guides me to be the best version of myself. Thanks Dad for being you. I couldn’t do it without you.