To My Dad

I will never forget the times we've spent. The early mornings filled with Smurfs and PeeWee Herman.  The evenings filled with "Your-ami" Vice and "Dukes"  I'll never forget the hours spent over a coloring book ...and how you never minded when I made you switch pictures halfway through. I'll always remember the countless towers made of blocks and races of the cars around the track.  The way you'd watch  movies with me, or watch movies while I rocked away in my rocking chair singing the  words to some Alabama song or "All My Ex's" at the top of my lungs. I'll always remember our Saturday morning drives to go get a pepsi and how you'd listen to and encourage my every rambling word. I'll never forget the lessons you taught me. Lessons learned by example. You taught me the value of hard work and of taking care of the things you are blessed with. Because of you I knew and still know that I can be whatever I want to be.  I'm so very blessed to have a dad who encourages and supports me at every turn.  Remember when we'd drive down the road --perhaps to get a pepsi or two --and I'd proudly read the words to EVERY word on EVERY sign we passed?  Haha! And you never complained, or bid me silent, just marveled at how brilliant your daughter was.  From you and The Happy Man and His Dump Truck I learned to love reading and learning.  I'm sure you still have nightmares of the little fat man coming to take you away in his truck with his animals, I made you read it so very often.  But I remember. Because of you and Mom I know what it is to be loved and to be cherished. I'm grateful that you loved me enough to expect excellence from me. You've always seen in me things that are sometimes hard to see in myself, and it means the world to me that you are there for me still. Even today, far away and grown, I often long to be at home with my dad.  I miss you every day. And my favorite moments in life are when I can come home to visit and we sit and laugh and chat. Or "watch" a movie ...depending on which one of us can stay awake :) I love calling you to share the latest joke or just to see how your day is going when we haven't talked for a while. I love you and wish you the happiest of days on today, your father's day!!