When my wife and I were married, a mentor of mine encouraged us to give our parents a tribute. The tribute was a simple thank you and blessing for the years of patience, work, and love it took to raise a child. It marked the transition from being a son or daughter, to becoming a husband and wife.
You can imagine how the tears flowed as we gave our parents a tribute. It is one of the few times I saw my dad cry. Neither my mom or dad said much after I was done talking. You could see in their eyes a look of gratitude and peace, as they realized their roles were changing from parenting to mentoring. It was a sweet moment I'll never forget.
Dad and mom Sipe, wow, the day is here. The last 8 weeks have been especially exciting for our family. We decided to sell my house, and transfer ownership to Corbin (my brother). You have both been incredibly gracious and loving as we sought to remove the debt I accumulated from school. The Lord is working out incredible details as He establishes me and my new bride - as I leave you, and cleave to her. There is no way we could have accomplished this without each other.
Mom, you raised us Sipe men to be men. You called us from an early age to be men of the Word. We were never raised to be teenagers or adolescents, but men of God grounded in faith. You lived that, and dare I say, breathed that. There were few days we were not around the lunch table with you talking about the truths of Scripture, and how they could be applied in our lives.
I am reading a biography about Dietrich Bonhoeffer right now. In the biography about Dietrich, one of his friends said that, "Dietrich was always thinking about thinking." I chuckle about that as I think about the times we thought and conversed around the lunch table. You set your son to thinking. You have raised me to think about how I am to lead my wife, and how I am to cherish her as the precious jewel that she is. This is exactly how dad has always treated you.
Dad, wow, what a man's man. Dad how you ever worked 6 part time jobs for a few years, and raised 6 kids with mom is a wonder to me. I remember vividly my times with you as you worked as a basketball referee, a landscaper, UPS pre-load, a bus driver, accountant, and still found time to build a business. One of my best memories is riding along with you as you drove the bus for the high school baseball team. It was cool to see my dad working hard and enjoying the company of the athletes.
This reminds me of another memory, and that is when we watched the movie The Rookie. I watched you cry, and it blew me away. As mom, and the rest of your children pondered that, we realized you were asked to give up your dream as a baseball player when you were 17. You worked so hard, and idealized Pete Rose who they called "Charlie Hustle." Yet, even though you gave up that dream, you never lost your hustle. Your sons have learned what it means to work hard, and to sacrifice for their girls because of your actions. Mom has said it well for years, "A Sipe knows how to work." Dad, you have helped me realize why I work, and that is for my bride.
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