If you don't know my earthly father then you don't know me. I don't really call him Dad like most people would. To me he's Herby, my best friend. I've always been really close to Herby, and that's probably because we're a lot alike. Like me he's quiet, observant, and friendly. We love going on walks together where we talk and talk and talk.
Being away from Herby has been a huge trial. It's hard to not have him to turn to and to know how much he's struggling. I've come to know he is the greatest example of pure love in my life, save only that of my Heavenly Father and Savior. His guidance is one I constantly seek and cherish. And his love and charity are never ending.
Herby's a funny guy. He's a huge nerd. One day he came to visit us in Utah and we were delighted to see floating lanterns in the sky. Enamored, he watched on with the light of a child in his eyes. And what did he say? Was it profound? It seemed like he was about to say something deep and spiritual. What did he say?
"Aliens."
Yup. That's Herby for you.
There's a good chance if we talked in person and you brought up Star Trek I've told you how my parents planned to name me after a character. Or how Herby collects the films and made me watch a few (yes, he made me. I stand by that). Or how he has several seasons on dvd. He has a pez dispenser collection of Star Trek characters. And we got him a Star Wars lunch box he actually brought to work (I was so proud). Oh yes, he has all of the Star Wars dvds too. Again, super huge nerd.
But the best thing about him isn't his nerdiness. It's not even those funny little things he says. No, my father is a wonderful example to me. He conveys Christ-like love better than anyone I know. He's helped me through my toughest trials, taught me things I'll never forget, and gave me guidance when I was lost. I don't know what my life would be like without him. I can't imagine having anyone else as a father. Sometimes I even want to share him with others, but then again he's mine. I don't like to share too much.
It's hard to be away from him. I know, you have to get away from daddy sometime. But the circumstances aren't the same. They're heartbreaking. It's hard to not be upset when I think about it. But I know we'll be together for time and all eternity. I'm sealed to my family. I'll have them in my life and the next. What an amazing blessing.
And how blessed I am to have Herby as my father. Really, truly. I have the best possible dad for me. He's taught me so much and continues to be a teacher and comforter in my life. Telling him I cancelled my mission was hard, but he was so kind and sweet about it. He acted exactly as I needed him to act. And I'm forever grateful for that. I love him so so much.
I can't talk about Father's Day without talking about my Heavenly Father. I love Him. Through and through. Heavenly Father is the perfect father. He lifts us up, helps us, teaches us, and humbles us. He wants so badly to have us return to Him.
What I find amazing is He had the chance to make sure everyone could be with Him. That was an option. Did you ever stop and think, wouldn't that have been better for Him? What did our Heavenly Father choose? He chose that we had our agency. The only gift better than our agency to decide our lives is that of our Savior. We can choose to return to Him. That must be hard for Him. I can't begin to imagine. But He loves us. So He gave us His only begotten Son and agency. What are we doing to be worthy of that love?
Heavenly Father deserves the best because He's willing to give us the best. But we have to choose to give that to Him. We have to choose Him. We have to choose to strive to return to Him. The amazing thing is He doesn't expect perfection. He expects us to fail and fall and get bruised and battered. But He also expects us to get up and try again. And we can do that.
What an amazing Father in Heaven. While some of us may not have fathers, or perhaps we don't have a good relationship with him, we all have a Heavenly Father. And He loves us. He will never forsake us. He will never turn his back on us. No, He is the perfect father (though Herby is pretty stinkin close).
We are NOT spiritual orphans.
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