I have two men in my life.
First, my wonderful husband, Nate; my soul mate, the father of my children, and the one I plan on spending the rest of my life with. However, he was not the first man in my life. The first man in my life is the one that I owe my life to, the one who raised me, and the one who continues to be a major force in my life today. That man, is my incredible father and today is his birthday. So, in honor of his birthday I wanted to let you all know why he is so important to me.
Dad, here are some of the reasons why I love you...
- for always loving me even when it seemed like I hated you (anybody ever been around a teenage girl before?!) - which, by the way, I never did.
- for always believing in me even when I didn't think I could do something (like turning a corner in a vehicle - well, all right we did almost end up in the ditch on that one!).
- for always being there for me whether physically or emotionally - I can't even count how many times you had to "rescue" me when my car (or I) broke down.
- for always being strict with me - you never let me get away with anything and although at the time I hated it - your authority has made be a better person (and perhaps I'm so punctual today because you waited up for me to make curfew - EVERY night).
- for always telling me you love me - I've heard people say that their dad has never said "I love you" and I can't imagine not hearing you say that. I hear it everytime we talk.
- for accepting Nate into our family (of course this was after you tried to break his hand on that first handshake of Thanksgiving '94 - hmm...maybe that is why he has since become a hand surgeon..?) and loving him just like a son.
- for loving my children and making sure they know that they are important to you.
- for giving me the ability to think for myself and to be assertive and - wait, I think Nate calls that being opinionated and stubborn and you say I get it from Mom... :)
However, the thing I love most about you is how you love Mom. I truly believe that the best gift a parent can give to a child is a strong marriage (and I think 43 years of marriage counts as "strong"). It is because of what I witnessed growing up that I knew I would never "settle" for less than the love that I saw between the two of you. If someone would have told me 15 years ago that I would marry someone like my dad I would have laughed at them. But, after 9 years of marriage with a man who tells me he loves me every single day, I can see I did just that. (However, a better example might be the fact that you and Nate spent nearly 30 minutes on the phone the other night discussing hunting and how to jumpstart conservative ideology again - when did you two become so similar?)
As I watch Nate father our own children I'm struck over and over at how important "Daddy" is to a little girl. They look up to him, want his attention, and relish in his positive praise never wanting to disappoint him. He, of course, loves them unconditionally and couldn't love them any more. I know both sides of that scenario because of you. So, Happy Birthday Dad - I love you and thank you for being the wonderful father that you are, always have been, and always will be.
Here's a little video we put together for you. Enjoy!
First, my wonderful husband, Nate; my soul mate, the father of my children, and the one I plan on spending the rest of my life with. However, he was not the first man in my life. The first man in my life is the one that I owe my life to, the one who raised me, and the one who continues to be a major force in my life today. That man, is my incredible father and today is his birthday. So, in honor of his birthday I wanted to let you all know why he is so important to me.
Dad, here are some of the reasons why I love you...
- for always loving me even when it seemed like I hated you (anybody ever been around a teenage girl before?!) - which, by the way, I never did.
- for always believing in me even when I didn't think I could do something (like turning a corner in a vehicle - well, all right we did almost end up in the ditch on that one!).
- for always being there for me whether physically or emotionally - I can't even count how many times you had to "rescue" me when my car (or I) broke down.
- for always being strict with me - you never let me get away with anything and although at the time I hated it - your authority has made be a better person (and perhaps I'm so punctual today because you waited up for me to make curfew - EVERY night).
- for always telling me you love me - I've heard people say that their dad has never said "I love you" and I can't imagine not hearing you say that. I hear it everytime we talk.
- for accepting Nate into our family (of course this was after you tried to break his hand on that first handshake of Thanksgiving '94 - hmm...maybe that is why he has since become a hand surgeon..?) and loving him just like a son.
- for loving my children and making sure they know that they are important to you.
- for giving me the ability to think for myself and to be assertive and - wait, I think Nate calls that being opinionated and stubborn and you say I get it from Mom... :)
However, the thing I love most about you is how you love Mom. I truly believe that the best gift a parent can give to a child is a strong marriage (and I think 43 years of marriage counts as "strong"). It is because of what I witnessed growing up that I knew I would never "settle" for less than the love that I saw between the two of you. If someone would have told me 15 years ago that I would marry someone like my dad I would have laughed at them. But, after 9 years of marriage with a man who tells me he loves me every single day, I can see I did just that. (However, a better example might be the fact that you and Nate spent nearly 30 minutes on the phone the other night discussing hunting and how to jumpstart conservative ideology again - when did you two become so similar?)
As I watch Nate father our own children I'm struck over and over at how important "Daddy" is to a little girl. They look up to him, want his attention, and relish in his positive praise never wanting to disappoint him. He, of course, loves them unconditionally and couldn't love them any more. I know both sides of that scenario because of you. So, Happy Birthday Dad - I love you and thank you for being the wonderful father that you are, always have been, and always will be.
Here's a little video we put together for you. Enjoy!
Yes, not only is it his birthday, but this weekend is opening weekend of deer hunting in Wisconsin - a very happy birthday indeed! Good luck Dad (and Nate)!
BTW: I'm a very lucky woman: I actually have a third man in my life - my fantastic father-in-law, Marty, who has always treated me like one of his own - thank you and good luck with the hunt - enjoy your time with your sons! :)
Anybody else have some "others" in their life that they are thankful for?
2 comments:
How sweet. Your dad is a good man.
@ Pete - how wonderful of you to think so - he still thinks you look "scuzzy"! :)
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