My best friend has always been the same person. I’ve had plenty of people walk in and out of my life, but for as long as I can remember there’s been one person who I always went to— no matter what time of day or night. I’ve never been that great at dealing with all the things that life brings along, but my dad has always been there to help me through it. God knows there is a million and one things that I want to thank him for and I know that I’ll never be able to say thank you enough. Dads deserve a lot more than a short little list of thank yous, but I guess this could be a start.
Dear Daddy,
You’ve watched me break down too many times. I’ve seen how much it hurts you being unable to shield me and protect me from everything in the world that hurts. Thank you for hugging me when you ran out of words or when I wouldn’t listen anymore. Thank you for not letting go even though you knew no matter how hard you held on you couldn't squeeze all my pieces back into place. Thank you for trying to anyways.
Thank you for wanting to protect me, but not keeping me from the experiences everyone has to have. Thank you for letting me figure things out for myself, but still keeping an eye out for me.
Thank you for being only a phone call away and answering no matter what time it was. Thank you for repeating your advice over and over again no matter how many times I refused to take it. Thank you for listening to the same problem a hundred times over and for giving me the little nudges in the right direction.
Thank you for not only cleaning up all of my messes, but for teaching me that everything you say or do will have consequences. Thank you for supporting me and for teaching me to be strong. You've refused to let me give up on bettering myself. You've loved me when I couldn't love myself and insisted on the good when all I saw was bad. Thank you for loving Mom and all of us so much and showing me what I should hold out for.
Thank you for the sacrifices you've made to give me the life I have. You’ve worked so hard and so much over the years in order to protect your family and all of their dreams. Thank you for pushing me to chase after everything that I want in life, no matter how many times I’ve changed my mind.
Thank you for being the only man I can count on to never leave. Thank you for somehow accepting me for who I am—tattoos, piercings, foul mouth, bad habits and all. Thank you for teaching me that bands like Disturbed are better than Justin Beiber. Thank you for taking me to my favorite band’s concert when I was 12, back before I knew what any of the stuff going on around me really meant (get your horns in the air).
Thank you for all the laughter you've pulled out of me over the years, the tears you've dried, the (many) bills you've paid, and the advice you've given (even the advice I refused to take). Here’s to many more years of you laughing while I try to dodge your hugs and kisses. I hope “dadding” always remains your favorite thing to do, I’d say you’re pretty good at it. Remember that no matter how far I go I will always come home (maybe to possibly crash on your couch if this whole ‘find a real job after college thing doesn’t work out…kidding, mostly). No matter how lost I feel sometimes I’m lucky to know that I’ve got you. Thank you for being my best friend. Thank you for being you, the best father I could ever dream of.
Love always,
Your little girl
