for my dad

I love my dad.  He has always been there for me.  So has my mom, but right now I’m focusing on my dad. Here are the reasons I have the best dad ever:

1.     He rubbed my back till I fell asleep too many nights to count.  Now that I’m a parent, I recognize this as a great gift of his time.  I don’t remember why or how this routine started, but it lasted for many years.  I do know that my dad made me feel safe.

2.    He made me self-sufficient in many ways.  He taught me to ride a bike.  He taught me to drive a car (both standard and automatic).  He taught me to do my yearly taxes when I was 16.  He opened a bank account for me when I received my first paycheck at age 16, and showed me how to write checks and manage my money.  He made sure I could pump my own gas (again, at 16) and change a tire.  He took me to get my driver’s license and I passed on the first try.  He never handed out money willy-nilly, so I could learn the value of the money I made working for $5.20 an hour at my first job.

3.    So yeah, he made me self-sufficient, but he also came to my rescue when I needed it.  When I ruined a tire and the spare was full of spiders, he came and changed it for me.  When I locked my keys in my car, he saved the day-and this happened several times.

4.    He stayed the night at the hospital with me many, many times.  I’ve had several surgeries and extended stays at hospitals, and it was nice to have someone there.  Now that I know what it’s like to be alone at the hospital, I appreciate my dad even more.

5.    He is super intelligent and he can do anything.  He can fix anything.  He understands everything.

6.    He is always willing to help me: He’s helped me move a few times.  He went with me the first time I enrolled in college because I was super nervous. 

7.    He has good taste in music and is not ashamed to admit he likes female singers such as Alanis Morissette.