The Beautiful Spirit Magazine Spring 2016 | Page 4

How Deep A Father’s Love
KAYLEN BALMER

I

have an amazing Dad. Just the other day, I was reflecting on
him and on all the lessons he has taught me. So many life
lessons are learned without our realization until we are grown and
have raised our own children. My Dad is a military man, having had
a career in the Air Force. He retired young enough to have a second
career as an editor (then senior editor) for a publication company.
So whatever my Dad did, it was with purpose.
As a little girl, I admired my Dad so much. Due to his military
career, he was gone overseas a lot; whenever he was home, that time
was special. I remember being little and walking down the street;
I would always hold tightly to his index finger. Not only did I feel
safe, I felt proud that he was my Dad. I would sit behind him in the
car while he was driving and play with his thick, black hair. My hair
was brown, but I had always hoped that it would turn black like his.
Eventually mine did grow dark like his, but the similarities didn’t
stop there; he turned gray in his forties, and so did I!
As a typical teenager, I wanted my own car. With his quick wit, my
Dad told me I had to wait until I got married so my husband could
buy one for me! When I graduated from college, I came out with a
degree, but without a husband. Therefore, I had no car, and I was
living at home. I needed a car, so my Dad took me out to buy one.
I really didn’t care much about cars; the make and model didn’t
concern me. As long as it got me from point A to point B, I was
happy. So for him to select a 1980 Chevy Citation was fine with me!
We found the car and my Dad said, “Let’s go over to the bank and get
a loan.” I was totally clueless about such things. We sat down at the
bank; a few minutes later (after signing a few papers), I, along with
the bank, owned a car! The tiny little town we lived in still does not
even have one stop light in it; everyone knows everyone there. The
car lot, bank and insurance agent were all on the same street. When
we stepped outside of the bank, Dad said, “Go on across the street
and get some insurance for your car.” What?! Insurance? I knew
nothing about liability, collision, comprehensive, etc. Those were
only terms I had heard, but they had no relevance in my life…until
then. I did as I was told. I sat across the desk from the insurance
agent and tried my best to answer his questions. Once again, only a
few signatures later, and I was out the door with insurance in hand.
I now had a car, insurance and a loan…all within about an hour!
The funny thing about this story is that several years later I realized
my Dad had orchestrated all this ahead of time for me. He had
already picked the car and had lined up the loan and insurance. How
did this benefit me? I learned a lot about buying a car, establishing a
loan and buying insurance, all under the watchful eye of my Dad. It
gave me knowledge and confidence for future big decisions. I also
realized my Dad was there for me. He was being a loving and wise
father. He was taking care of me, and he already knew ahead o