A couple of weeks ago, I shared a few of the many things I had to thank my mother for being right about. This week, I want to highlight some of the things that I have to thank the other wonderful, equally as important half of the best duo in the world that I get to call my parents.
1. Thank you for giving me your personality.
People who are close to me and my family always say the same thing: I look just like my mother, and I act just like my father. With that being said, I couldn't be happier to own these compliments. The traits and behaviors I see in my dad that I know also exist in me are characteristics that I am so proud to say I possess and got from him.
We are both hard-headed. We both don't stop working until the job is done, no matter how long it takes. We both can sometimes let our emotions get the best of us because we are passionate about things. We both try to go above and beyond in anything we do. We both have to constantly be on the go, staying busy and productive. We love to travel, meet new people and try new things.
While being so similar in personality can definitely cause us to butt heads at times, I always rest assured knowing it's because deep down we are both kind of the same.
2. Thank you for always knowing your way around any city.
As a competitive soccer player who traveled to games all over the U.S., I've been fortunate enough to visit many cool, new places. I was even more fortunate to have a dad who would accompany me to almost every tournament, no matter how far. I always felt proud that my dad was the one who everyone would turn to for travel plans.
Everyone would ask, "What's something cool to do here, Ray?" and "What yummy restaurant are we going to tonight, Mr. Neeley?" because he really did always somehow just know the best choices for anything and everything. He is always up for trying new things and even has this rule that while we are out of town, we can not eat at a place that we could go to back home. So in sum, I'm thankful for his knowledge of yummy food, and being the go-to parent for finding the most fun things to do, regardless of if our tournament was in New York City or the middle-of-nowhere Mississippi.
3. Thank you for always bringing home new snacks and keeping the fridge stocked.
Eating has always been me and my dad's thing. We are without a doubt the biggest snackers in the family, and I'm always the one willing to try new things with him. We give him a hard time, but even though he is definitely at Sam's Club/buying everything in bulk/purchasing any food with the words "New Flavor!" on it addict, I really do appreciate coming home to a fully stocked pantry and fridge, without fail. I know my friends do too because in high school I heard on so many occasions "You always have the best snacks at your house." And I would tell them the same thing every time; "You have my dad to thank for that."
4. Thank you for knowing how to fix/do LITERALLY everything.
I don't know where he learns it or how he does it, but I swear my dad is Superman. He knows how to do everything. From fixing something that's wrong with my car or computer, to cooking anything and pulling off some seemingly impossible task, there really seems to be nothing that that man can't do. I can't tell you how many times I've had to call him because something was "broken" and he just instantly told me what to do to "magically" fix the problem. I rely on him for so many things, and without him, I honestly don't know what I'd do. I can't think of anyone else to turn to for these problems because I'm convinced no one else knows how to do all of the things that he can.
5. Thank you for being the best example for me and my siblings and taking care of our family.
Just like everyone else in the world, my dad isn't perfect. But I can say that to me, he is the perfect dad. He is funny, strong, smart, hard-working and God-fearing. It can't be easy to be in charge of everything from managing bills and working, to putting up with any and all of the problems my siblings and I may throw at him. He has taught us the value of hard work and honoring our commitments in life. He's provided my family with so much and continues to give. Most importantly, he lives his life as a perfect example of a willing and loving servant of God.
I can't thank my Heavenly Father enough for blessing me with my earthly one. My dad will never cease to amaze me. Even though he doesn't even have a Facebook (lol), I'm confident this will get back to him somehow.
So thank you for everything you've given me, and for loving me even when I don't deserve it!
