A Father-Son Moment on Father's Day

Some Father's Day moments can be captured on camera...
like this one where Jonathan is reading to the family on Father's Day evening;

but others are preserved in memories only,

like the moment between father and son Sunday afternoon when Jonathan's parents arrived at the park where we had arranged to meet for a picnic dinner.

We had driven in from our respective churches, and Jonathan's mom and dad got out of their vehicle,

bringing salad fixings to the picnic table.

 As our family moved down the little hill from the table to go greet the grandparents, Jonathan's dad seemed to have one person in mind--his son. 

And Jonathan seemed to have one person in mind--his dad.

Before even setting down what he was carrying, Jonathan's dad was reaching out an arm,

and Jonathan reached out at the same time.

That wordless moment between father and son as they wished each other a happy Father's Day was one that I wished I could have caught on camera,

but it was best preserved in memory only 

there by the picnic table under the Colorado blue sky.

We had a crock pot of elk meat with veggies (not this one, this one is a pork roast from another time!)

 and Grandma brought a luscious tossed salad, complete with wedges of tomato and leaves of kale.
"Bonnie at church," Grandma said, "said that her hair has grown back in so much thicker since she started eating kale."
Grandma is losing her hair, she said, so she adds kale to salad!
"Probably because kale is full of iron, isn't it?" Crystal remembered.
Actually I looked it up, and the mineral in kale that helps hair is sulphur.
Nevertheless, we enjoyed the salad, as well as the wonderful watermelon we brought,
and finished off with peanut butter pies I had made the night before.
We talked about the campmeeting over in western Colorado where Grandma said she well remembered a preacher preaching on the subject of grudges.
She said, "The preacher said that some people are not going to get to heaven because of grudges."

I was sure we could all sit there and think of grudges we could carry toward each other. There have been hurts on all sides.
Instead, we were eating together and hugging one another and visiting happily because
we had all chosen to let go of grudges.
That was a wonderful Father's Day memory.
*******
Here is a card Hannah gave her dad.

Here is the inside.

Gifts for Jonathan that evening included new bandanas for handkerchiefs, new socks, salsa,

Pringles, his favorite sweetener stevia, and his favorite shampoo which he was out of. 

Lying on the dresser when we went to bed was a letter from a son which really touched Jonathan.

I hung it up on the mirror to remind Jonathan how much his son thinks of him. 

And now I backtrack to a few months ago to photos we took this winter when Jonathan's brother Dave and wife Ruth, were here, with Bryan and Emily.

They had a good time playing games after supper.

And showing the brand new puppies.

We had made one of our favorite fresh green bean dishes--sauteed with onion and bacon, and Rose made fresh rolls.

I think we must have had fruit pizzas for dessert, for that is the picture I have.

Two brothers--now dads of adults, visiting and perusing the atlas while talking about travels and trips!