Walking In My Father's Footsteps

The 4Radfords had the opportunity to spend one incredible week at St. Simon's Island off of the coast of Georgia.  It was a week of relaxing and focusing on one another.  Vacation was a welcome change of pace after 9 months of selling our home, moving twice, selling two cars, having the "world's largest" garage sale, taking 18 college students to Guatemala, raising support (thank you Lord and supporters), and making endless plans and decisions.  

As a husband and a dad it was a very special time for me to focus on Angel and the kids.  We laughed, we ate seafood, we played monopoly (Anna Kate beat me mercilessly).  But most of all we just spent endless hours together.

I had one of the those rare but special dad moments while walking on the beach with Parker.  It did not start out as a father/son moment, but I did seize the opportunity to connect deeply with him while the girls were off playing together.  We walked along a stretch of beach that I had played on as a 15 year old.  Over the last few beach vacations Parker has taught himself to skim board.  Check out the video below.  I told Parker that as a 15 year old I had skim boarded on the very stretch of beach that he was skimming on.  He looked at me and said - "I am walking in my father's footsteps, literally.  That is pretty cool."

I was in awe.  While Parker is an incredibly bright kid and he continually blows me away with what he says, he is at the end of the day a 10 year old.

His statement made me stop and realize the importance of playing the role of dad.  He is watching (and I am certain that Anna Kate is as well) and he is taking notes.  It was a spiritual gut check that made me question if I am doing enough to disciple my kids.