Dear Dad,
Where do I even start? First off, I love you so incredibly much. I will never be able to repay you for how wonderful you are to me. However, I hope you accept this very open article as my way of showing my appreciation for you. If not, I will buy you a bag of your much-loved sunflower seeds.
Thank you for working tirelessly all of these years. As a kid, I would hear you getting ready for work much before the sun came up, day after day. Most days you were gone before I even ate breakfast. Though you are growing weary, know that your work ethic inspires me to be the same way. You push yourself as hard as you can until your job is done and you have a happy, healthy patient. By being a nurse, you show compassion not only to me but also to complete strangers. That has taught me to be kind to others as well.
We had a rough patch for a while there, pops. There were days when you would be at work when I got off the school bus, and you still came home to cook me supper. Days when we both would reach our breaking points and cry on one another’s shoulder.
Thank you for being a mom and a dad for me during that time. Your efforts in doing my hair in middle school are also quite commendable. You, sir, became an expert in straightening and braiding my hair. Pat yourself on the back for that one.
Thank you for making me feel like the most beautiful girl in the entire world. I will never forget the first time I wore eyeliner and you smiled at me when I came out in the living room and showed you. I’m sure I looked like a raccoon, but you made me feel like one beautiful raccoon. Beyond the makeup, you always told me I was beautiful or gorgeous. You really meant it, too. You saw me. You saw my personality and my bright future.
You believe in me. Thank you for that. When I moved five hours away for college, I know you were sad to see me go, but I promised you I would be back before I left and I kept that promise. When I started school back again a year ago, you were there crying all over again, even though I was only 45 minutes from home. I called you several times that first week back, crying, and you calmed me down. Thank you for still rooting for me, even when things feel like they are falling apart.
Most importantly, thank you for showing me what a man of God looks like. I have never once doubted your love for God. I still don’t to this day. I can come to you about anything and almost instantly you are able to back up the things you say with Scripture. That always gives me a sense of peace. I remember when I had my first panic attack when I was younger and you had me read about Daniel in the lion’s den. He wasn’t afraid.
One of my favorite quotes you always said to me is the one by Corrie Ten Boom: “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.” To this day, when I lack faith I think about that quote. There is so much more I could write about, but most of it is inside jokes. I can never repay you for the good things you have done in my life. Just know that no matter where I go in life, no matter what career I choose, I will always be your baby girl.
Love,
Your Daughter
