Father’s Day 2006

I have five children. The first was a girl—we named her Hannah Eve. (There’s a story there—ask me about it sometime.) The second was a girl—we named her Lydia Marie. The third was a girl—we named her Abigail Susan. The fourth was a girl—we named her Rebekah Joy.

You may notice that the first names were all Bible names.

Well, we discovered we were pregnant again. Now, I went to Georgia Tech, and I thought I saw a pattern emerging as I reviewed the history our first four children. Rather than waste time picking out a name for a boy, we just settled on Sarah Grace for the name of our fifth daughter.

Well, our fifth child arrived—and what a surprise! It was a boy! (And there’s a nice story about his birth, too, but that will also have to wait.) Having no ready names for boys picked out, he had to settle for mine (and my dad’s), so he is named Fred O. Pitts III.

On this Father’s Day, I would like for you to know just how blessed I am.

Hannah is my favorite child. She is twenty (almost 21!), and she is a junior at Georgia Tech. She is a wonderful Christian young lady who is engaged to a wonderful Christian young man named Rick. I had the privilege of leading them through pre-marital guidance, and it was a blessing to hear how they want to honor Jesus with their lives. Rick is graduating in August from Georgia Tech, and they will be married soon after. (Rick already has a job lined up after graduation!) They will live in married housing at GT for another year until Hannah graduates. She also has a line on a job, too. We are excited to see what God is doing in their lives. Hannah is absolutely a daddy’s girl.

Lydia is my favorite child. An accomplished musician, she is a student at Georgia State University (though she wants everyone to know that she was accepted to Georgia Tech, too!), where she is majoring in Music Education. She plays the oboe and the piano, though the oboe is her instrument at school. At this time, she senses that God is calling her to one day be an international missionary. We will be thrilled if God continues to guide her in that direction, but we will be just as thrilled if He calls her to stay right here in the U.S., too. We are excited to see the next steps. Lydia loves her dad.

Abigail is my favorite child. She is a rising senior in High School and is very high spirited. A homeschooled student, she is also active in Artios Academy—a Christian program for the visual and performing arts. She is a talented actress and singer and wants to pursue these arts in college. More important, she is pursuing her relationship with God with all of her heart. She actively talks to others about Jesus, even while she has a million questions about her faith. (And she is never reluctant to ask them—which is wonderful!) Abigail has always been close to her dad and remains that way today.

Rebekah is my favorite child. Being the fourth in a series of girls is not the best way to be noticed in a family! But Rebekah occupies that position with grace and poise. She, too, is a member of Artios Academy and has blossomed into a wonderful actress in her own right. In earlier years, she was actively involved in gymnastics, the only one in our family to branch out into that activity. Earlier this year, I gave the opportunity for people in our congregation to stand up in the middle of my message and declare, “Jesus is my Lord!” I was surprised and pleased when Rebekah—who is sometimes quiet about such things—was one of the first to stand up and make that declaration. I am proud to say that Rebekah tells her dad often how much she loves him.

Fred O. III is my favorite child. The only boy, he has shown us first hand that boys and girls are indeed different by nature! He and I have always enjoyed reading stories together. (Of course, I read with the girls, too, but as he has gotten older, the kinds of stories have been different.) Fred O enjoys baseball and swimming and all kinds of boy activities, both inside and out of doors. Recently, Fred O and I went on a trip together to the Grand Canyon. (I have taken a trip with each of my children when they reach 13—this was my last of that fabulous series—and that also is another blog.) We rode mules to the bottom and back up again the next day. We enjoyed our time together. Thinking he might be feeling a little old to hear me say it—or return it—I will sometimes say to him, “L-Y-S” (“Love you, son”). Invariably, though, he comes back with, “Love you too, Dad!”

Cindy is my favorite wife. She has been the glue that keeps our family together. She has tirelessly homeschooled the children and trained them up in the way of the Lord. She has set demanding standards—I am sure the children thought them too demanding at times!—and has seen the children meet them. She has planned dozens and dozens of family activities, prepared countless home-cooked meals, made school fun and exciting, and made birthdays extra special. She is extra special, too, especially since she goes on and on even when underappreciated and taken for granted—which happens at least 364 days a year. Like the children, Cindy loves me, too.

My, what a blessed man I am! Surely the words from Psalm 128 are mine this Father’s Day:

Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways.
You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
Thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD.
May the LORD bless you from all the days of your life;
may you live to see your children's children.

May it be so!

Fred O. Pitts