Daddy's 50th Birthday

My dad turns 50 tomorrow. My mom, aunt, and myself got our entire family and his friends to send in photos, well wishes, and memories of him. We compiled everything into a book for him to keep. I wanted to share with you what I wrote. All of us girls that have great fathers are pretty lucky. I'm blessed to have my Daddy.

I’ve always thought that the most important relationship that a girl could have is the one she has with her father. I’ve been blessed to have such a wonderful daddy. Thinking back on my childhood what I remember the most is Saturday’s filled with playing in the yard while you worked on some outdoor project. It was inevitable that I would end up with a skinned knee or some sort of injury which was quickly healed with a kiss on the Band-Aid and a night of dinner and a movie just the four of us. When you worked nights I remember getting up at midnight when you got home to sit with you for a moment before going back to bed. Even though I’m not as big into hunting as you had hoped I would be those days of walking the woods with you will forever be in my heart. I enjoyed those moments where it was just us and you taught me how to hoot like an owl. A necessity that every young girl should learn how to do! “Who- cooks- for- you- who- cooks- for- you- all.” 

You taught me how to shoot a gun and even though it knocked me off my seat you picked me up and showed me how to hold it tight.  Though at times the tomboy in me came out as I got older Teen Magazine replaced running around outside it was you that showed me what being a lady means.  My life has never lacked of being told how pretty or loved I am even as a gangly thirteen year old with braces and two left feet.  It was you that picked me up off the bathroom floor when my stomach always seemed to defy me. Last year when I thought my whole world fell apart you were there accepting me back into your home with open arms and hugs while allowing my tears to fall freely. You support me in whatever it is I want to do or be and you continually tell me how proud of me you are but, really you should be proud of yourself. It was you that molded a baby girl into lady. You held my hand throughout my life then when it was time you sent me down my own path and instilled the necessary tools of encouragement and faith to get my own my way. So with a sense of responsibility and the world at my fingertips here I am, as a career woman, but I certainly wouldn’t have gotten here on my own.

Happy 50^TH Birthday Daddy! I hope I get another 50 years of your encouragement and love!