Daddy, Daddy, Daddy...

My brother Ronald, younger sister Cheryl, Me, Daddy and Ronald Barr
(who was named after my father).  I was 15 years old here, I think.

When Bo and I first got married, almost 26 years ago, he didn't have it easy.  I loved him with all my heart and knew what a good man he was but he knew there was one man who held a place of honor in my life that no one could compete with...my Daddy.  Yes, I still call him Daddy.

I think this was before I was born

Bo would tease me by saying, "Daddy Daddy, Daddy...Daddy walks on water."  Oh it would make me so mad until the day that I embraced his teasing.  He even had my mother saying it to me.  It was all in good fun and he honors my father as much as I do. 

Bo and Daddy calling us from the Philippines

Now, Bo has two girls that honor him like I honor my Daddy.  Yes, he can thank me for that (kind of, lol). 

Me and Daddy in Hatteras this year

Mom tells me that I have been a Daddy's girl since day one, not that I can remember that far back.  But since my memory kicked in, I can recall always knowing that he is a man of honor.  "Daddy can do no wrong"...not true but the truth is, Daddy purposes in his heart to honor God at all times, in everything he does and says.  I have seen it my whole life.  I have seen him love the unlovable.  I have seen him stand for what he believes in, even when it makes him unpopular to the point of blatant ridicule.  I have seen the sacrifices without complaint but with faith that God knows what He is doing.  

Me and Daddy in Ocracoke this year. (Jenna in the back)

"You put your Dad on a pedestal"...Yes, yes I do.  I don't think he is perfect.  I know he makes mistakes but I also know his heart.  A man is a man of honor when he seeks the face of God and then walks in obedience to God's will.  

Daddy and Mom this past Christmas

He is the man who taught me how a woman should be treated.  He has always treated my beautiful mother with love, affection, grace, patience, kindness, a joyful servants heart.  A man is a man of honor when he loves his wife as Christ loves His Church.

Daddy, Henry and Mom

Daddy and Parker

Daddy and Lukie

Daddy and Baby Bo

He taught me how to be a parent.  Even after I had children, he would tell me, "You only punish to the point of regret.  Anything more isn't about them but about you."  He showed me that not everything is a battle that has to be fought...this came in handy when my 3 became teenagers.  He was always quick to play with us, make us popcorn, igniting our imaginations on car rides with an ice cream cone.  
A man is a man when he loves his children enough to spend time with them, teaching them how to become men and women of God in a lost world.

Jenna (my niece), Jacob and Daddy at Hatteras

These are just some of the reasons I honor my father, Ronald Dean Estep.  He is a man of honor.  He did all this without a role model of how to be a good dad.  It was his pursuit of God with his whole heart that took him from fatherless to a Father of Honor.  

My Daddy, Ronald D. Estep

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!!!!