Lillyan's Namesake

(Again, spell check is failing me, so pelase be kind in your thoughts of me while you read this un-spell checked peice of work. Thank you. -The Management)


Strength.



That's the word I think of when I think of my Father. There are so many reasons why he embodies that word to me. The first of many being that he is just simply physically strong. He has been as long as I can remember. And I am not just talking "open the pickle jar" kind of strong. He's tall, broad, very athletic, and has always had big muscles! My Daddy's a strong dude!



Dad is strong in his Faith. He has such wonderful integrity. I remember him once telling me a story about his work and how it's always important to be who you say you are, a Christian. Now, I may have some of the details a little fuzzy (or completly wrong), but I am dead on with the point of the story.



Dad is an excellent supervisior (another Strength of his) and has been the boss of quite a few men in his working days. Now when he worked for a road side assistance program in Vancouver he had a driver who had multiple complaints filed against him. Dad called one coustomer in particular to talk about the complaint he had filed and the discussion escalated, words were said, and this coustomer was even more upset and decided to file a complaint against dad to his boss. So Dad's boss calls him one day and says that all of those coustomer's complaints had been dismissed, and when Dad asked why, his boss told him that he didn't believe anything the coustomer had said. The coustomer claimed that Dad had cussed him out and was unprofessional on the phone. Dad's boss knew that the coustomer had the wrong man and told this guy that in the 10+ years he had known Mike Sellers he had never heard a cuss word come out of his mouth, not to mention anything unappropriate or unprofessional in a buisness related matter.



That story just makes me smile. My Daddy doesn't cuss. And anyone, who knows him knows he loves the Lord and tries his hardest to be a worthy representative of the choice he made to follow Christ, therefore bearing the name Christian. My Daddy's a strong man of God!



Dad loves strong. That may read silly, but it is so true in real life. He has a family member that has hurt him in many ways for many years and when push comes to shove, Dad can see past his own needs and selfishness, and love that person with his whole heart. That exaple of love has always given me unwaivering faith that no matter what I do, how silly I act, or how hurtful I have been... Dad's going to love me regardless. And because I know that, I desperatly try to do the right thing, not be silly (too often), and never ever do anything that would hurt him! Though I know I hurt him in the past when I was being selfish and "rebelling" I know he knows I am a different person now, and had I not gone through that, I would not be the "who" I am today. Dad also loves my Mom! Boy does he ever love her! Suzanne and I were very blessed to grow up in a home where Dad was our example of what love in marriage looks like, feels like, and acts like. Granted, Mom and Dad weren't perfect at the love thing all the time, but I'd be hard pressed to come up with a story that proved that. If you asked me for a story that proved how much they loved each other.... I have a million of those! My Daddy loves strong!



He's also mentally strong. He has goals and works very hard to acheive them, almost always doing so, and he has been through a lot in his life and has never let it get him down or let him have an excuse not to work hard. He's an over-commer, not a "pass the buck" kind of man. THAT TAKES STRENGTH! Dad owns up to the things he does wrong and tries to find a way to either fix it, or appologize in the instances that there is no fix. Dad taught me how to be mentally tough in basketball. Dad tried to teach me how to be mentally tough in school, and not until I got into the work place did I allow it to sink in. But my Daddy's mentally strong!



My Dad is a strong feeler. Again, this may sound silly, but it is still very true. When I see my Dad cry, which has been like three times max, I cry. He may look intimidating, but he's really a big soft teddybear. Sorry Dad, your secret is out! When he hurts, he HURTS. When he's sitting around with his friends, cutting up and laughing, he's the loudest one in the room. And when he cares, he CARES! It takes all of him when he's invested his fellings, and that is just plain awesome to watch and be a part of. I won't go into much detail in this area because I am already tearing up just thinking about what I'd write... and that's no fun for anyone! But trust me on this one (and you may already know this yourself) my Daddy's a strong feeler!



There is so much more about my Dad that examplifies the word strength, that I could go on and on... but in the intrest of time, I won't. Maybe I'll save all of the other ones for another post. But I often think about how I never met my Grandma. I never met Dad's Mom because she died when he was a senior in highschool. Dad never really talked too much about her either and I really don't blame him. He was always fine with us asking questions about her, he would answer with a smile on his face, and when his Dad was alive they would reminise about how wonderful Grandma was, but Dad never really offered information when it came to Grandma Sellers.



It struck me, not too long before my little girl was born, that even though I never met Grandma, I know her. I know her because I know my Dad. I know her legacy. I bet you my Grandma was a very Strong woman. Strength must run in the Sellers jeans, because I know I have my Father's Strength in me. So when Luke and I decided to name our daughter Lillyan, we wanted to honor my Grandmother that I never knew, Lillian Sellers. But now I see that in my daughter, there also lives my Dad.



So Dad, thank you for introducing me to Grandma and for continuing a legacy of strength. May Luke and I be blessed enough to have a daughter who is physically strong, a strong woman of God, loves strong, mentally strong, a strong feeler, and so much more!



Lillyan may be named after a Grandmother I never met, but because of you, I know Lillyan's namesake! I love you!

~KK