Be Intentional

My sisters were in high school when my dad would wake them up on every other Saturday to go into the city. Not for volunteer work. Not to show them where he hopes they would never end up. Nope…to get their hair done. That’s right. Dad used to take the older girls to the salon on Saturdays twice a month.

He would sit in the salon chair, talk with the owner, and get the girls' food. The salon visit wasn’t an hour; it was an all-day affair. I believe he used that time to figure out what they were getting into. He liked to ask questions about our friends, like, “What’s Tosha been up to?” Or, “Are you hanging out with that boy who walked you home last week? What’s his name?” I didn’t know then what I know now — that he was a concerned father. He met my sisters when they were in their teenage years. He knew that as adolescent daughters, they were worried about their appearance. My sisters didn’t have jobs, and that was Dad's way of ensuring they were confident leaving the house.

He never came home empty-handed. He always made sure to bring my mom back something to eat, whether it was dinner or peach cobbler and rolls from her favorite spot.

He was intentional about his relationships with my mother and his daughters.

How are you making the time with your daughters count? What can you do going forward to be intentional about your relationship?