What is a Father?

According to www.dictionary.com:

fa•ther [fah-ther] (noun)
1. a male parent.
2. a father-in-law, stepfather, or adoptive father.
3. any male ancestor, especially the founder of a race, family, or line; progenitor.
4. a man who exercises paternal care over other persons; paternal protector or provider: a father to the poor.
5. a person who has originated or established something: the father of modern psychology; the founding fathers.

Some of the definitions above are not what people typically think of when "Father's Day" pops into their head. Oddly enough, neither Katelyn or I have a father in the traditional sense. Both of us have "fathers" that are not involved in our life in any way, shape, or form. Father's day has never felt like a holiday to me. Mother's day was always celebrated, but Father's day was not the same. With such a high number or divorces in America I'm sure some of you feel the same. Many fathers are awesome even after the parents separate, but unfortunately this is not the case for Kate or I.

In a way, we are luckier.

The men that act as the Father in our lives choose to be there. It is not a natural thing for them. They, at some point, made a conscious choice to be involved in a fatherly roll on a daily basis.

Tim, my step-father, entered my life when I was 12 years old. Although I don't call him Dad, I constantly refer to my "parents", meaning Tim & my Mom. He still continues to help me and be involved in our lives on a regular basis even after I left the house. He has been the man that helped me get to football games in high school, picked me up when my car broke down, celebrated graduations, the birth of my daughter, and is an involved Grandfather as well. Tim has been there in all the ways that count as a Father. For that, I am truly grateful.

Next weekend, we are all going out to Lake Anna with my parents and Tim will get to show his boat off to Eric and his girls to celebrate Father's day. Looking forward to making these memories with Kate and all three of Eric's kiddos as well.

Happy Father's Day Tim!!

Tim, Mom, Myself, & Kate in February 2012