Thought you might like to see a letter to my father-in-law. This falls in the category of men teaching their sons well:
It's been over thirty years since you became family to me. I was a young girl who hardly knew what to do with a dad in my life again, but I knew you were a special gift from God to complete my life in this area. Right from the start, Mother and you asked me to call you "Mother" and "Dad" and you meant it. You welcomed me into your family as one of your own and made me feel like a daughter. I had myself a new family to love and who loved me well.
Thank you for raising such a fine son. Your love, your character, and your time investment in him made my husband the man he is today. I was the blessed recipient of a man who knew how to love, how to take care of his family, and how to treat his wife. All this is even more impressive since you were building this legacy from the ground up. You decided to rise above your abusive upbringing and you truly did it. You let love into your heart and showed your son how to love by how you cherished your wife and family. Your son loves with a sacrificial love and he learned this from you. As his wife, I am especially grateful for this.
You've been an amazing grandfather to our children and now their spouses. You have shown them how to live with purpose and trustworthiness and love. You have invested in them with your support and by always being there for things that were important to them. Whether it was the many soccer games, choir concerts, or their graduation, you took the time to come and show them that you cared. This was huge to me because you taught us how to honor others by saying through your actions, "If it's important to you, it's important to me."
You are also my model for how to grow older with grace. You and Mother continue to show us how to live a full, active life with church, friendships, travel, and learning new things such as languages and piano. You teach us that it's never too late to try something new. You remind us to be thankful for good health, to take care of yourself by staying fit. I look forward to growing older because of what you've taught us.
You set an awesome example for living authentically. You surround yourself with a loving community through your church, men's club, YMCA friends and neighbors. You help others constantly and volunteer with veterans and children in schools. You stand for the highest of morals and live them out with integrity.
To sum it all up: You love God with your whole heart and serve Him with devotion and reverence. You live out life to the fullest. And, you are about so much more than yourself.
Dad, for all this and much more, I thank you; I respect you with the highest of honor; and I love you dearly.
Annette
