Semper Fidelis—Always Faithful
by Melanie Hemry
Kent Pate knew how to be a great father because he’d had a great father. His dad, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, had raised him with a high level of integrity and honor. His home, growing up, had reminded him of boot camp, only abounding in love.
Kent was thrilled when God added daughter Kayley to the two boys that he and Priscilla had. So why did he feel as though he didn’t have what he needed to parent them? He thought back to that cold January morning when he was 11 years old. That’s when his dad’s best friend had broken the news. His dad had been killed in a car wreck. For the next six years, Kent had lived in an alien world that hadn’t included a father. A world without protection or direction.
Then, when he was 17, he’d gone to an Independence Day party. When he stepped into the house, he felt at home. It was a family of Marines. The same strong leadership. The same core values. But with an added bonus—a beautiful daughter named Priscilla who Kent realized would be the best wife a man could have.
16 : BVOV
