Father of the Year

So it turns out I'm not the greatest dad in the whole world.  This point was driven home to me as I observed the devastation another of my failures had wreaked in the lives of my boys yesterday.  That may be a slight exaggeration, but it was pretty bad.  
My 2 oldest sons (9 and 8), have been slogging through their first season of little league baseball.  After some years in t-ball and coaches pitch, it was time to move up.  I think it's safe to say that it will be their last year of baseball as neither has enjoyed it much at all.  But to their credit they've stuck it out.  Our weeknight games are usually at 6:30pm.  So when there was a rain out make-up game scheduled for Friday night, I assumed it was at 6:30.  Oops.  Erin stayed home with the younger 2 boys as one had a fever earlier in the day.  I dropped the boys off at the fields at 6:00, and while I would normally stay, this time I had an errand to run.  So I left them there planning to be back hopefully before 7:00, missing just the first part of the game.  When I got back, all was clearly not well. It turns out the game was actually scheduled for 7:30, and my boys had been waiting.  By themselves.  Surrounded by strangers.  Not sure what to do.  They eventually saw a teammate who informed them what was going on.  Again, to their credit, they just sat and waited, played together, and were good brothers.  Strong boys.  But when I found them and began to figure out what had happened, the strength melted into tears.  You can guess how I felt.  Guilty enough to buy them each a Powerade from the concession stand since it would be too late to go for ice cream after the game.  Father of the year?  Not so much.
Great start to Father's Day weekend.  But it was a good reminder.  I enjoy Mother's Day and Father's Day; the work that moms and dads do is hard and is praiseworthy.  The frequent failures, however, remind us that we fall far short.  And on the drive home from the game, I was able to remind my boys that the heavenly Father's schedule is never wrong, and He never leaves us alone.  So on the eve of Father's Day, I'm thankful for the heavenly Father who is faithful and forgives me for my failures as a dad.  I'm thankful for my boys who forgave me and love me.  And I'm  thankful for my dad, who showed me what it is to be a father.  Happy Father's Day.