the natural

i had always known you were a man of integrity

a kind , gentle and loyal man

but during Gregg's illness

i saw a man with a self-less heart for others

a man who would lay down his life for those that he loved

when Gregg was sick

& often felt too poorly to interact with the girls

you would sit on the floor for hours

crayons

barbies

tea parties

you would be Demetri while Savannah was Anastasia

you melted all of our hearts

a few years after Gregg's passing

our friendship deepened

i remember the moment i fell in love with you
sadly , we were attending the funeral of one of the most amazing women
Carol St. Clair
i was so broken hearted that she had passed
you went with me to the funeral
the first funeral i had attended since Gregg's death
tender & protective
you knew my heart was reliving all the grief from a couple years prior
i felt so safe with you






when we married
you became an immediate daddy
to three little girls
all four of us, completely smitten
you were a natural
you never skipped a beat

& i don't think they did either

i think the greatest character quality you have
is that you show the girls & i
the tender heart of God
slow to anger
quick to forgive & quicker to mend
strength & gentleness all wrapped up in 6 foot 4
loyal
& selfless
thank you for telling me you love me 734 times a day
for cleaning dishes after every meal
& mailing me love letters
for taking me to my favorite place in the world, every year
for living in home full of white furniture, white towels & white sheets
for never leaving the toilet seat up
or dirty clothes on the floor
for agreeing to take me out to eat when i don't feel like cooking
& letting me choose where we'll go

sweet dan, thank you for saving your heart & your soul for me
i don't deserve you

i'm truly convinced
that when we are all up in Heaven
Gregg's gonna give you a big high five
& thank you for raising his 3 baby girls
no finer man
you
the natural

allofmylove2you

happy fathers day sweet man
& happy fathers day to my own dad
thank you for loving mom for the last 45 years
& for raising me in a godly loving home
you were the first man to show me a loyal heart
& a steadfast love for the Lord

happy fathers day to pop pop
who was married to sweet grammy for 52 years
a kinder gentler man i have never known
i think my sweet dan learned everything he knows
from you

i love you guys!
xo

(for those of you who aren't familiar with my story...i lost my first husband , gregg to cancer. a few years later dan & i married. gregg & i had three girls. they were each under the age of 3 when he passed away. dan & i married and we had caroline. dan adopted my three girls. he has always been daddy to them. they are blessed to have the godly heritage of two wonderful men. one biologically & one by choice. but loved immeasurably by both men)