He delivered

Been wanting to talk to him for a while.
Held off because
Well, he doesn't know much of the situation
He's quite distant from it
Being half a world away and all
And not knowing some of the pieces
And ... aren't you supposed to talk directly 
   to the person/people involved first?
But I've tried sometimes
And didn't know what to do next
Finally decided 
   there was a part I could and should ask him about

I guess I needed someone truly safe
Someone who really loves me to the end
And someone with whom I can really share my heart
I also wanted to talk to him
   because I knew he would bring wisdom
   because I knew he would tell it to me straight
He would question heart motives
He wouldn't let me smooth over anything
No way to bluff, hide...
If I had wanted to

And, well, you delivered Dad
Good, hard.
Words of truth delivered so straight
And so gently
Yet, not stopped by my tears (good!)

He said,

"Maybe the one thing you don't want to do, is what you need to do."

"Do you love...?  ...the second commandment is an outflow of the first"
"We're challenged to be thankful in all things...we're challenged to do things we cannot do on our own."

"You need to keep focused on [your purpose]."

And then there were the comments like, "Yes, you could be hurt again,." "This will refine you," and, "Keep taking it to God."

What more does a person need when facing tough challenges?
...when it's hard to figure out what to do,
...and easy to put off going forward because it is so darn hard! 
Thank you Daddy! 
   
Forty-one-year-old daughters, still need dads that will listen, be safe and close (the tears flowed way more than I expected, way more than usual when I talk with others), and yet speak strong and hard words--"Do what is right. Do what you need to do. Keep taking it to the LORD." 

And now...for my part...