Who's your Daddy?

I don't even remember now what Nora wanted to do; but for whatever reason, Ian was the best person to ask about it. "Check with your father," I said.

She looked at me quizzically. "Honey, you can go ask your Dad. He will know." Then I figured out the problem as she squinted at me in bewilderment. "Baby, did you know 'Father' is another way to say Dad? He has a lot of names. I call him Ian, but you call him Dad or Daddy. Sometimes you call him Papa. Those are loving names for what he is to you-- your father."

"No. He's not my father!" Nora retorted as if I were the silliest woman in the world. Luckily, I saw this coming.

"He's not Father Tom, from church; but Father Tom is a different kind of Father. He's not our Daddy, he's a person we can talk to about God. He helps us and gives us many ways to come closer to knowing Jesus. We love Father Tom, but he's not Daddy."

But Nora was somewhat adamant about Ian and the father thing. "He's not our Father Tom, Mom." I had to agree with her on that score. Nobody's quite like our Father Tom. We're happy to have both of them in our lives.