A Fathers' Day Tribute to My Dad and Righteous Men

That many of the problems in our modern world stem from the disintegration of the traditional family and the absence of strong fathers in the home appears to be beyond debate.  Being a strong father, like being a strong mother, is an exhausting responsibility.  Not characterized by a string of glamour and fame, but more appropriately by consistent, loyal service (frequently unrecognized and unappreciated).

It was not until I was an adult living on my own that I realized I lived in a magic house as a child.  The garbage was always taken out; the furnace filter always changed; the bills always paid; the cars always registered; the mortgage always paid (the light were not always turned out but that is a different issue J); the doors always locked at night; the temperature appropriately regulated; the dead light bulbs always replaced; the yard always maintained; and not a weed in sight.

While I have always appreciated my father, it is only now that I try to maintain a home by myself that I recognize how much he truly does for our family. I guess because he did those things so consistently, so silently, and so well that the effort and dilligence in performing those tasks escaped my conscious acknowledgement.  I have an amazing mother too but I was more aware of her efforts because I was frequently called upon to assist (and its possible on an occassion or two she went "on strike").  Most Monday mornings, I hear the garbage truck pass only to regret that I will have another week of stinky garbage in my garage.  Sometimes I forget to lock the doors at night.  Maintaining a car is flatly outside my skill set. It is possible that my utilities have been shut off because I forgot to pay the bill once or twice. And I still have no idea how he developed the super powers to prevent weeds!!

Three generations of Beutler men.

I now realize that “going to work” is not some relaxing and fulfilling vacation destination.  Rather, working to provide for a family is demanding, grueling, and frequently dehumanizing.  The men who walk this path of responsibility will always have my profound respect and gratitude, especially given that their responsibilities do not end when they walk out the office door.

As members of the LDS Church, we believe the family is a divine institution, the most basic unit of society.  We believe that our Heavenly Father chose to put us in marriages and families on this earth so that we could grow and learn and become like Him.   While He certainly did not choose to put us in families because it would always be easy, it is the trials and stresses that we experience in families that help us learn to love and serve like Christ did.  Especially as a single girl, I appreciate and value the divine unit of society that is the family.

Just a reminder that I was the best Christmas present they ever got!

In a society where many men offer so little to their families, as a church, we demand so much.  Not only do we require our men to provide, preside, and protect their own families, we have bestowed upon them the responsibility of priesthood service.  This requires them to serve other families in our wards and communities. 

On this Fathers Day, I remember how truly grateful I am for my own Father.  The years and hours of quiet and consistent service he devotes to our family.  The care and responsibility that he continues to offer on my behalf, even over a decade since I left the house.

While some kids may mistakenly think their father is Superman, my father is an Ironman!  I love you Dad and pray every day that I will find a husband and father to my own children who is a righteous, consistent, and responsible as you are.

Ironman Florida 2012