You Can't Deny Her!!

The most proud compliment that I receive is when people tell me, "Wow, she looks just like you" or "she is your spitting image"....but my favorite is, "you can't deny her!!" (usually said with attitude from the laddies at Stella's gymnastics)...REALLY? Like I would ?!?!?  My thought always is, YES SHE IS, with an overwhelming, undisguisable smile on my face.  

("Undisguisable" is a hard word to spell BTW, I had to Google it)

So, I love pictures of us side by side when I can notice our similar attributes, like our smiles, and our similar dark eyes, and especially our similar cheeks....And yes, sadly, the gap we share in our front teeth (her's will be corrected though). 

Thankfully she shares many attributes with her mother too, like her spirit, her ears, her nose (thankfully), and her full head of flowing locks...and she has the Kennedy (mom's family) forehead that gives it the perfect shape (that forehead spans many generations, BTW). 

The feeling that I get, when I  . . .  s  l  o  w     d  o  w  n  . . .  and really notice that my little girl is every part of ME, I get overwhelmed.

She is perfect beyond all I could imagine. Proud Dad?? Do you think?? I'm so thankful to God for my little blessing Stella.

Twas the Night Before Pre-K

Twas the Night Before Pre-K, when all through the house, a crazy, long haired creature was bouncing all about. With her maracas in hand and "Girl on Fire" on her voice, she belted out her tune, completely drowning Jeopardy out.

Ok...so it doesn't really rhyme.

And so goes another evening in the Bridges home, with Stella showcasing her incredible imagination and her ability to easily fit into the only child category.  I often wish that she had a sibling to keep her entertained; another little person running around that could share in our love, happiness, and never ending good times. But, I realize that I might get kicked to the curb in favor of a little three foot tall monster.  And honestly, I'm kind of selfish....so unless God sees fit to miraculously bring Stella a sibling, we are, at this point in time, very best friends.  And that's the way I like it.

As this is the first blog entry for what I hope to be a 14 year long project, I guess I should explain why I want to embark on this journey.

And hence the mention of the night before Pre-K.  As Stella is starting Pre-K tomorrow, effectively beginning her educational adventures, I want to do my best to observe, to participate, and to lovingly instruct her along the way...while continually learning how to be a better father.  Through the journey, I want to document and to journal our daily happenings and interactions.  Although my blog entries may only come once a week or even more rarely, I will be keeping a daily journal to jot down the little things that make me such a proud father.

This is an endeavor that I wish I had started the day she was born...but it also took me the past 4 1/2 years to kinda get this whole daddy thing down.  I have made many mistakes in my life and I have given up on many hobbies, projects, and quite frankly, many people.  I have disobeyed God and I have caused harm and heartache to others.  But my responsibilities as a father are paramount in my life.

I was introduced to the term Patriarch about a year and a half ago (John Woodall's Blog) and I have slowly digested what it means to be a Patriarch.  When first introduced to the term, I thought that I would never fit the role.  My divorce had just been finalized and my picture of the perfect family had been shattered.  My image of a Patriarch was one that was head of the family, one with a wife for life, and one with more than one child, leading to a large family of many grand children and eventually great grand children.  A Patriarch in my mind was the ultimate head of the family...and as far as I was concerned, a man that was divorced could never obtain that great title.

As I have thought, digested, and prayed over the past year, I have begun to realize that the only person that could rob me of that illustrious title was myself.  I could self doubt and sabotage only myself or I could determine that the great role of Patriarch could be mine.  It could be mine even as a single father, even as a divorced man, even as the father of only one wonderful child.  It could be mine, if and only if, I decided that my role as a father to Stella is second in priority only to my faith and trust in God.  It comes with the intentional decision to be a GREAT father and to never settle for mediocrity.  It will require constant prayer and patience and perseverance beyond measure.  And it will certainly be a challenge but it is a challenge that I am fully prepared for.

I have learned over the past couple of years that the strongest relationship a girl will ever have will be the relationship that she has with her father.  Her connection with her dad is one that is deep and heartfelt and her connection with her father is where she will gain all the strength and knowledge that she needs to navigate life, love, and family.  Sadly, many fathers fall short of the role that is so instrumental in their daughter's life and in her short formative years.

Yes, I am a great father to Stella and I always have been but my measure of greatness can never fade or subside. Stella deserves only the best.

I am blessed that my Father in heaven has given me clarity to fully understand my enormous responsibility and I am thankful that He has given me an abundance of love and the ability to recognize the awesomeness of this relationship that He has created.  I pray that He keeps me aware and that I will always lead well.

So...as we celebrate the next season of Stella's life, it is with much joy that I will proudly lead her into the future woman that she will be.

Pre-K....Here we come!!

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.  (Ephesians 6:4, ESV)