My Daddy can do anything

**Warning: This post is mushy. If you are having an emotional day, you might want to come back later. It really is better suited for a special, mushy occasion like Valentine's Day or Father's Day. However, the chances of me remembering this specific story by Valentine's Day or Father's Day is pretty slim - so here it is.**










Last week we turned off our ceiling fans for the first time since April. Not joking, they have been running almost non stop since April to try and cool off this hot house. It would make sense to me while spinning or turning, there would be little opportunity for the ceiling fan to get dirty. However, last week I found this to be very untrue. I turned the fan off and glanced up. What I saw was horrifying. There was a thick layer of dust and dirt COVERING the blades and hanging down off of each one. How did I not notice that when it when spinning overhead? I did what any good homemaker would do in my position and ignored it for five days, hoping it would go away. But, it didn't. So I was forced to pull out the trusty bar stool and balance myself precariously to get everything cleaned. Up close, the situation was even worse. Not only were the blades very dirty, but the glass on the light fixture was also grimy with drywall dust. As long as I was hanging out on my wobbly barstool with my arms over my head, I went ahead and took down the glass pieces to wash. As dusk fell that evening, I turned the overhead light on. With the clean fixture (and blands) the lights twinkled and the glass sparkled. It was a beautiful sight. Everytime I walked by, I had to stop and admire how pretty our living room was with a clean light fixture.

**Warning: Mush ahead**

John eventually noticed the admiring glances I was giving to the ceiling instead of to him and looked up to investigate. He also admired the twinkly, sparkly new light in our lives. William was in John's arms and after a few minutes, he too looked up at the light. I'm sure he had twinkly, sparkly thoughts to match my own. So, there all three of us stood in the living room under the ceiling fan, looking up when all of a sudden, William lifted his arms up over his head. John lifted William over his head, towards the beautiful light over our heads. William giggled and looked down at the two of us before looking back up and reaching his hands higher. John stood on his tiptoes to push William a little closer - but the fan was still pretty far away. William looked down with a tiny frown on his face and then reached his arms up again.

**Last warning: Major Mush ahead***

That is when it hit me. I have to admit I got a little teary and still do every time I think about it. William couldn't understand why John couldn't reach him all the way up to the light. William thinks his Daddy can do anything. He believes that his Daddy is capable of helping him do anything and fixing everything. I know this is a normal idea for kids to have - I just thought it took years to develop, not months. I also know how strong the feeling is for me about my dad - and I am so excited for John to experience this type of relationship with our son. It makes me happy because I know with out a doubt this is a role he was meant to play. He is an amazing problem solver and fixer upper of all things. John was meant to be a daddy.



PS In my case, the idea dies hard. My dad is still the first one I call when I have trouble with the car, washer, plumbing, electrical systems, etc. I am always surprised when he doesn't have an immediate solution that fixes everything easily. Sometimes he even laughs at me. Yet, I call every time.