Words of Hope: Great Joy
One aspect of Dad’s character I admired was his presence. He carried himself with dignity and power. His voice could fill a room or a gym. Dad met my husband Shann before I did. He would speak throughout Montana, staying in homes along the way. He spoke on the Cheyenne Reservation for their basketball banquet, and that’s where he first met Shann. Each year following, Shann would drive out to Silver Lake for basketball camp with his father and brother. Dad liked to remind me he loved Shann before I did. Dad was, in many ways, a second father to Shann.
On the day of our wedding, Dad grinned ear to ear. As we looked back at the photos from the day, he said his face looked like it was about to pop. Dad walked me down the aisle and met Shann waiting at the end. When asked the question, “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” Instead of the typical response, “Her mother and I do,” my Dad responded with a resonant and powerful voice full of emotion, “With great joy and without any reservation, her mother and I do.”
The moment had such authentic love, delight, and power. These attributes describe how Dad sought to live. He desired to have relational depth with access to emotion in the truest and wisest sense.
“Above all, love each other deeply because love covers a multitude of sins.” – I Peter 4:8
