Big messes and loving hands

The day began with a clang, then a bang and a screech of upset as dad cringed from his chair by the TV, “are you okay?” He called, knowing the answer. The irritated growl of a pig tailed, overall wearing, covered in diesel little girl comes around the corner, “no, I am not okay.”
Silently dad puts down his coffee and comes to see what happened. Outside the tractor is out and the hood is up and the side is covered in something wet that smells similar to the wet diesel on the girl. Dad shakes his head, “how much did we lose?”
The girl thumps down the can with one hand, showing how empty it is.
“I just wanted to fill it for you, but it was so big and heavy….” she flings her arms wide and gestures at the mess around her to finish her sentence.
Dad nods his head, “that is a really big can, too big for you to have to lift. Tell you what? I will go to town and buy three smaller cans of diesel and then you don’t have to lift the big one when you fill the tractor.”
A lip quivers as the girls nods her head, “I’ll get my money to pay for it.”
Dad laughs and puts the gas cap back on the tractor, “no need for that, I’ll take care of it.”
“But it’s my mess.”
“That doesn’t matter, I’ll still take care of it, and how about we get some ice cream?”
Small arms hug dad causing him to smell like diesel too, “thanks daddy.”
Dad nods again and the two go into the house to get the truck keys.
“At least this time I didn’t put gas in the diesel tractor huh?”
Dad grimaces, “yes, thankfully you didn’t do that.”
Then they laugh and drive to town.


Good dads are an example of our Heavenly Father. We make big messes and He cleans them up. We offer our tiny offerings to cover the cost, but He has already covered it for us. He loves us past the failed attempts and broken tries. He loves us when we are pouting and when we are laughing, His our dad.
I am so thankful for all the dads that are good men and great Fathers and show the love of God through their own actions. I am thankful for all dads like this, but I am mostly thankful for my own.
Happy Father’s day’