From the Parent Cue
Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a dad. Most kids I ran around with wanted to be an astronaut or a football player, but not me. I had bigger dreams. I wanted to be a dad. I looked forward to it becoming a reality one day. I dreamt about what kind of dad I would be. And when it happened, it was even better than I could have ever imagined.
“Daddy” is my favorite name, and being daddy is the most rewarding position I have in my life. But a little over a year ago, after my wife lost her battle to breast cancer, I became “mommy” as well, and that was something that I could have never prepared myself for. You see, life still goes on even after you lose the person you’d planned on doing the rest of your life with.
My wife, Rachel, went to be with Jesus on March 1, 2020. Twelve days after that, the entire country went into lockdown. The kids were no longer going to school. March Madness was canceled. Churches stopped gathering in person. Restaurants and stores were all shut down.
Uncertainty was all around us.
I remember thinking after Rachel passed that all I wanted to do was find a new routine. I wanted to figure out what our new normal would look like. But Covid came around and had a very different idea. Covid didn’t allow for routine. It didn’t allow for normal. Nothing about what we’ve all gone through over these past 18 months is normal. And it’s been hard. It’s been frustrating. And I don’t know about you, but I’m tired.
All that to say, I don’t have a great routine. I sure don’t have this single parent role figured out. But I have figured out a few things that have helped me through the hardest season of my life. And I know that some of you are right in the middle of a similar season. Or maybe you’re heading into one. Either way, here are just a few things that help me each day and may help you, too:
“Daddy” is my favorite name, and being daddy is the most rewarding position I have in my life. But a little over a year ago, after my wife lost her battle to breast cancer, I became “mommy” as well, and that was something that I could have never prepared myself for. You see, life still goes on even after you lose the person you’d planned on doing the rest of your life with.
My wife, Rachel, went to be with Jesus on March 1, 2020. Twelve days after that, the entire country went into lockdown. The kids were no longer going to school. March Madness was canceled. Churches stopped gathering in person. Restaurants and stores were all shut down.
Uncertainty was all around us.
I remember thinking after Rachel passed that all I wanted to do was find a new routine. I wanted to figure out what our new normal would look like. But Covid came around and had a very different idea. Covid didn’t allow for routine. It didn’t allow for normal. Nothing about what we’ve all gone through over these past 18 months is normal. And it’s been hard. It’s been frustrating. And I don’t know about you, but I’m tired.
All that to say, I don’t have a great routine. I sure don’t have this single parent role figured out. But I have figured out a few things that have helped me through the hardest season of my life. And I know that some of you are right in the middle of a similar season. Or maybe you’re heading into one. Either way, here are just a few things that help me each day and may help you, too: