Dear Step Dad,

Life has this crazy way of putting people in our lives when we need them. Whether they stop by for a little while, or stay the whole time, we never know. One thing I do know, is that mom and I needed you in our lives, and you came at the perfect time.

We both know I absolutely hated you at first. I wanted you gone forever, out of the picture for eternity, and never to return again infinitely. I wanted you to walk out the front door and never step foot back in. It’s so silly to think about how much I despised you. Looking back now, one of the greatest blessings for mom and I both was having you walk back in the door.

You’ve been here for some of the most important moments of my life, like award ceremonies, high school graduation, and college move-in day. I couldn’t have pictured anyone else in your foot steps. I also don’t think anyone could take as great of photos as we do.

You’re my go-to for political questions, my personal chef, my not-really-professional astronomer. You’re there to throw sass right back at me when I give you attitude. You’re a supporter of my goals, a helper of my ambitions, and a motivator to my many desires.

Thank you for the five-star dinners and listening to me tell you over and over again that you need to open your own restaurant. Thank you for star-gazing with me during summer at midnight and explaining to me where the planets and galaxies are. Thank you for putting up with my loud mouth, my sassy attitude, and my awful ‘not-a-morning-person’ glares. Thank you for always supporting me with (almost) every decision I’ve made and helping along the way.

Most importantly, thank you for sticking around. There is no one else I would want my mother to spend the rest of her life with and there is no other human on this earth I would rather call Dad.

So here’s to you, Step Dad,

Life had this crazy way of letting you stay for a while and letting mom have you as a husband and letting me have you as a Dad.

There is no one else I would ever want to call Dad. You earned it.

Sincerely,

Your Daughter