More From Peter Caligiuri

Because of my parent’s divorce, I did not know my dad when I was growing up. In fact, we had only met twice, and the visits were so brief that I couldn’t recall what he looked like until we came face-to-face in family court when I was 15. The judge granting dad visitation rights that afternoon changed the course of both our lives forever.

Of course, at the time as a teenager I figured I already knew all the answers and my dad had a lot to learn. But as the years passed, when I got married and my wife and I had two young sons, I discovered that I really didn’t know much at all. I found out that my dad was not only a lot smarter than I thought, but he loved our family with the unconditional love of Jesus. My dad showed us that family is a precious gift from God, so we should guard it with care. In my devotion, I wrote about my final conversations with my dad and his special verse, “I can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me” (NRSVUE). They have become the foundation of my Christian faith today.