Happy Father's Day!

Yesterday, June 13, 2008 I think we were all sadden by the death of Tim Russert. Leaving behind a wife and son, Luke who has just graduated from Boston College. Luke will deeply miss his father this Sunday as the nation celebrates Father's Day.
We are all complex people, created by God. Like the stars in the sky, no one is exactely alike! My father Wayne George Rehfeldt was so unique in so many ways. It hard to believe that this year when I was visiting my mother, Agnes on May 21 she said, "Do you know what happened 70 years ago?" "You got married?" was my replied. (My father was only 18 years old and mother was 20 years old.) As the conversation went on I made the statement that we so often make: "Does it seem just like yesterday?" "Yes!" was my mother's answer.
After I was born, my father had to join the Army. And to honor my father, I love the saying, "The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." The following are excerpts from letters my father wrote to his mother. October 8, 1944 "I've missed Agnes and the kids (There were 4 of us at that time..8 more to come). I have the most wonderfullest wife in the whole world and love her with all my heart." On December 30, 1944 " I thank God that I married her when I did. I always have and always will think she is one of the best women that God has ever created and she deserves a much better man than I am." Need I say more?
My father was a roofer by trade. The home we lived in on Sherman was build by my father. Most of my brothers and sisters lived there till they either got married or moved out. Later on in life when we would be in the car with my dad and driving around on West State Street, he would point out several homes and say, "I put the roof on that house."
When we think of fathers, we also think of events that they play a major part in...like walking their daughter(s) down the aisle to get married. It's bittersweet for me because Ann-Marie's dad was not able to do this. My father taught us to be honest. He worked hard and as a result we are all not afraid to work hard too. He was a conversationalist...and as you read some of his letters, he was good at expressing himself. He loved all twelve of his children. In a letter to me he said. "If I could I would wear my heart on my sleeve." And he was talking about how much he loved his whole family.

That brings me to another famous father, Robert Lawrence Trotter, Ann-Marie's father.
It's been said and I know it's true. "Whenever you think of Bob, you think also of Juliet and Ann-Marie." The above picture is Bob with Ann-Marie's back to us in Knoxville, TN.This picture above was at my sister Kathy's home one Christmas when Ann-Marie was in college. He passed away when she was a Junior at Moody. So when she graduated from Moody his presence was deeply missed.
This is perhaps Bob's last birthday with us when we lived in Machesney Park. I must add that my father was at Bob's graduation from Moody.

If your father is alive, pick up that phone and wish him a "Happy Father's Day" I could look up into the heavens and say "Happy Father's Day Dad!" but I really don't know if he would hear me and if my thoughts on this matter are correct. But I can say in prayer. "Heavenly Father thank you for the dad you gave me here on this earth." That circle of dads in heaven has certainly grown in number ..but to me my dad, Wayne and Ann-Marie's dad, Bob are, is where we are looking forward to going to some day.