The Hearts of my Girls (P. 3)...

It seems of late that I have been doing a lot of fighting for the hearts of the ladies in my life...

A couple weeks ago my wife and girls stopped by a small local farm-slash-market that they frequent a lot. Low and behold the cats there had a litter of kittens. Now, we already have two cats in the house. They can be a real pain at times. Especially when they pee in my tool box!

Well, from that day on my youngest daughter insisted on visiting the kittens whenever we were in the neighborhood, matter of fact, we didn't have to be anywhere close for her to insist we go visit the kittens. No matter who she was with, Grandma, Grandpa, Oma, Opa, it was always "Let's go visit the kittens!" Of course there was the plea to bring one home every time we did visit them (which seemed like twice a day for two weeks). Anyway, I really didn't want to get another one...Then it occurred to me that this is something her heart really delights in. I have an opportunity here to fight for her heart, to be her Father. To delight in the things she delights in.

So we have a new kitten, and I kinda like the little rascal. Our other cats aren't too thrilled. :o)

Rocco

The Hearts of my Girls (P. 2)...

It seems of late that I have been doing a lot of fighting for the hearts of the ladies in my life...

A month or more ago I was driving home from the in-laws with the girls, because Sandy was in Columbus tuning pianos. As we left, I had it in my heart to go down town and check out the pipe tobacco at the tobacco shop. When I heard Father say, plain as day, "Go to Jeff's and buy Sandy a wrap for her ring." Jeff is an old acquaintance who also is a 2nd or 3rd generation jeweler. His store is on the opposite side of the block from the tobacco shop. So I did. I found a really nice wrap that matched her marque diamond perfectly, and low and behold I got it for 50% its appraised value! My wife is still glowing from that one.

On top of that I was able to buy her a new(er) vehicle this past summer. We've really been blessed to be able to buy two fairly new vehicles this past year, paying cash for both! The Father sure knows how to give good gifts to His beloved! It's really cool how He's teaching me to do the same!

Rocco

The Hearts of my Girls (P. 1)...

It seems of late that I have been doing a lot of fighting for the hearts of the ladies in my life...

My eldest daughter is quite the nature nut. She loves everything outdoors. This past summer she had a couple caterpillars she caught and was taking care of them until they became butterfly's. Note: they don't need much care other then some leaves in the jar. I am not sure what happened to all of them, but one I am confident of.

I was coming home from somewhere one afternoon, and my daughter was with me, as we came to the back door she stopped to check on the one cocoon that was left, of all her caterpillars. She stopped right in front of the door, I was instantly tweaked as she postponed my entering the house, as if there was something I was missing out on, maybe if it was raining, maybe if I had diarrhea, but it wasn't, and I didn't. She burst out in delight as she opened the top of the big plastic jar she kept the caterpillar/cocoon in. The very soon to be butterfly was just then breaking out of its cocoon!

I nearly blew it big time!! In my tweakness of being delayed in getting in the house, I was like "Ok, whatever, get out of the way." Then, Boom! A spiritual door just slammed in my face and Father said - "Rocco, you idiot! Don't blow this! This is an opportunity to Fight for your daughters heart! To be a father to her."

I stopped turned to my daughter and took delight in her delight. We watched this butterfly emerge from its cocoon right into her hands!! It was a Monarch! She held it from her fingers as it flexed its wings to dry them, until she finally transferred it to a bush. Then we watched it continue to dry its wings until it flew away.

I think I cried a gallon of grateful tears that night, thankful that Father showed up in time to father me, so I could be a Father to my daughter.

Rocco