Daddy Has The Key to My Heart…

David and Glory love duck hunting together

Two years ago, the older girls and I were desperate for a Christmas gift for David that was meaningful. I mean, what does the guy really need?

So we began searching through all of our treasures from recent antique fairs and flea markets to brainstorm. Blissy had purchased about 25 vintage keys and was just hanging on to them to see what use she may find.

When I spotted them, I yelled, “A-Ha!” I had an idea! Excitedly several children followed me as I frantically searched for various crafting items…all the way peppering me with questions as I tried to sort out in my mind what exactly we could make with them.

We have always taught the children that the Lord already knows their future spouse and it is our job as parents to train them up to be the best compliment/helpmeet to that person possible. With that in mind, I asked the children what they thought if we were to use these keys to represent the “keys to their hearts” and give them to Daddy!

They loved the idea! I found a 16×20 inch canvas I had been holding onto, covered it in natural linen, and began fiddling around with a way to decorate and attach the keys to the canvas. We settled on using ribbon and fabric covering some large buttons.

The resulted piece of art brought tears to David’s eyes. We told him he could keep the keys until the right young man appeared for each of his precious daughters, and then we would replace the key on the canvas with a wedding invitation.

This simple and inexpensive gift was probably the most meaningful we have ever given David. But make no mistake, it was an act of love and submission on the behalf of the older children…to realize and confirm that their father really is the guardian of their hearts. This reminder now hangs on our wall, and the children remark about it all the time. They tell me how thankful they are that Daddy is protecting them, they touch the keys and pray for their husbands, they talk about how they will one day hang their key prominently in their OWN bedroom in their own home they share with their future spouse. It is completely endearing and an incredible blessing. Those flea-market keys are now priceless heirlooms.

This Father’s Day, let’s take a moment to remind our daughters of their Father’s plans and their Daddy’s love for them.