Happy Father's Day

We did something yesterday that we hadn’t ever done in the nearly 20 years we have lived in Colorado. We went to the Renaissance Faire in Larkspur and it was a blast. We should have done it all along. It was like an old English/French/Italian/Celtic/Dudgeons and Dragons village from 300 or 500 or 800 years ago. Before you enter the Faire there is a shop where you can rent costumes for the days in the ‘village”. About 1/3 of the guests were in costume and they were fun, colorful, and a little flirtatious with some of the women’s bodices. There were lots of entertaining jugglers, singers, musicians and acrobats performing on several live stage shows. The food selection ranged from hard boiled Scottish Eggs, to Thai coconut crusted Green Beans, to “Steak on a Stake”, and Deep fried ice cream. We went through a lot of cash very quickly tasting the fun food. They even had Mac and Cheese on a stick.

It was a perfect day weather wise and we went with another couple who were particularly fun. Dave, the husband, is a couple years older than me but a true child at heart. All day he was saying things like, “Oh, there’s a Maze, let’s go!”; “Look at these cool wooden swords, I want one.”; “Let’s ride the camels and the elephants.”; “I just got to have some of those fries.”; “Are we going to see the jousting?”; and “This is the best funnel cake with ice cream and strawberries I have ever eaten.” He made it so fun because of his childlike enthusiasm.

I have been thinking about my dad a lot lately for two reasons: I’m going back to Canada for my 40^th High School Reunion next weekend, and it is Father’s Day. With the new Vancouver temple having just opened last month I thought it would be cool to do my dad’s endowment in that temple. I really had to ask myself if I was ready to forgive and move on from the torturous relationship we had, and I’ve concluded that I’m ready. I just don’t feel the poison I used to about him. His toxic life style was sad and destructive for him and his family but if I dwell on his noxious behavior I’m held back.

I have finally made peace with him. I can see his weaknesses and his strengths and the scale is not equal, but one thing I have learned over the past 6 years is that only the Savior is perfect. We are all flawed and fall way short of the ideal. It is for God to judge and for us to try to forgive the damages and the hurts. If we don’t; we are the ones that suffer. All my anger towards my father doesn’t hurt or repay him it just diminishes my soul and standing before my Heavenly Father. And I need all the help I can get.