We hope your weekend looks a lot like this.
Yesterday marked a big birthday for my dad. As I was thinking of him, I looked through my baby book and came across this picture, which I had previously overlooked.

The image was captured in 1963, and I learned that he had just come home from work as an American History teacher at the local high school. My mom had written on the back of the picture, “Kim pestering Daddy.” I am sure he had hopes of taking a nap after a long day at school.

My parents had recently moved to the small city of Williston, North Dakota, leaving behind the farm life. My mom and dad were both raised on farms by Scandinavian immigrant parents. They grew up doing chores, praying for good crops, and trying to stay warm through the long and brutal winters. In the warm months, the wide open prairies were their playgrounds and the sound of the train coming down the railroad tracks was sometimes the highlight of the day.

The thing that I like about this image is that it captures the patience that my dad has practiced throughout the years, as father to me, my brother, and sister. Soon after this picture was taken, we moved to the Washington, DC area where my dad spent the majority of his career working in various capacities on Capitol Hill. He has always kept rural America in his heart, and his journey demonstrates that hard work and determination can take a person wherever they want to go.

And although it has been a long time since he lived in his home state, he has never forgotten his roots.

~shared by @kimkelly20