Doug Creamer: Father’s Day

Published 12:00 am Saturday, June 17, 2017

We moved some when I was a kid. Two of the homes we lived in were on golf courses. Often after supper my dad, brother and I would head out to play a few holes. I have vivid memories of playing golf late into the evening. We also spent time “ball hawking” — we would walk along the edge of the woods or around the ponds and see if we could find golf balls.

Dad is a sports fanatic. I remember as a kid going to watch high school sporting events. When I got older Dad got tickets to Old Dominion basketball games. If ODU scored over 100 points, the local sub shops would give you a free six-inch sub for your tickets. We also went to watch hockey. We had box seats and I could see the guys’ faces getting smashed into the glass right in front of me.

We saw some professional baseball games. A few years back my brother organized a trip to Atlanta where we watched the Braves play the Red Socks, my Dad’s favorite team. There is nothing like having a dog in a park and hearing the crack of the bat as a player gets a hit.

My Dad is a big golf fan and has gone to several professional tournaments. Once, as a kid, a professional golf tournament was played on the golf course in our backyard. Our favorite family memory was when our black cat went and laid down on one of the player’s ball. The player coolly and calmly came over, picked up our cat, pet his head and sent him on his way.

My favorite picture of my Dad and I was snapped by my sister as we walked down the beach together on Christmas day. Dad wanted to give my Mom a break so she could rest and get started on Christmas dinner. He took us for a ride that turned into a walk down at the beach.

Don’t get me wrong, my Dad is not perfect, no earthly father is. My Dad provided for us kids. He did the best he could to give us a good example of how to live our lives with integrity. He set high standards and made sure we all grew up with a good sense of humor. I honor and respect the job he did.-Unlike my earthly father, my Heavenly Father is perfect. His love for us is unconditional. God takes care of us way better than our earthly fathers. God watches out for us 24/7 because He never slumbers nor sleeps. God knows more about us than we know about ourselves.

He knows all about our future because He has lovingly planned it out for us. His plans are good because He intends to bless us and prosper us. God is not bound by time so He sees our future and can’t wait to walk with us in it. Our future is filled with hope.

Ultimately we will spend eternity with God, if we have made Him our Lord and Savior. One of the wonderful things about being in a relationship with God is that we can experience the joy of His presence now. God wants to spend time with us to refresh us. He enjoys our company because we are His children.

I encourage you to put your hope and trust in your Heavenly Father who cares about you, knows everything about you and still likes and loves you. He wants to spend time with you. You can trust Him with your future because He has seen it and it is good. Open your hearts to your Heavenly Father and experience Father’s Day in a very special way this year.

Contact Doug at doug@dougcreamer.com