Dear Dad,

You were the first teacher I'd ever had, and you're still the best teacher I could ever ask for. You taught me how to change a tire, do my laundry, mow the lawn, and so many other countless things. From the little things like tying my shoes, to the big things like learning to drive. You were there for them all. But as I've gotten older, I've realized all the things you didn't mean to teach me. I've learned that the greatest lessons you had to offer didn't come from your words. They came from your actions.

You were always one of the quiet ones. You weren't the kind to host a poker night full of beer, gambling, and guy talk with the fellow dads of all my friends. When it came to social events, you spent most of your time either with Mom, or with the same few people you'd always spend it with. You certainly weren't the social butterfly, and you never had a problem with that. Even when people may have pushed you, you always stayed true to yourself. You had a small group of close friends, and that was always more than enough for you.

But what you probably didn't realize was how much you were teaching me about friendship. You taught me that it really is about quality, not quantity. When I was growing up, you and Mom always spent time with the same group of people. You weren't concerned with being the life of the party. In fact, you weren't really concerned with parties at all. You were always content with a few close friends and just a beer on the porch. And you taught me that friends don't need to do anything extravagant to enjoy their time together. You taught me that your real friends are the ones that become family. And you taught me that those are the people you can depend on because you always made it clear that they could depend on you.

You taught me that working hard is an expectation, not an exception. The greatest success comes to the those who work hard, and then work even harder. You showed me that everyday. No matter how exhausting it might have been, you always worked hard for our family. You and Mom did everything you could to give us all the life we had dreamed of. Even if that meant passing on some of the things you needed to give us what we wanted. You always put us first. And you never expected anything in return.

You showed me that working hard was something you did for yourself, not for others. Because to you, doing things the right way meant doing them in silence. You taught me that recognition from other people wasn't important. Instead, you showed me that recognition from yourself was all that mattered. You didn't need praise or compliments because in your opinion, you weren't doing anything special. You are humble and modest to your core. You may have not thought you were doing anything special. But in my eyes, you certainly were.

You taught me to be a proud of myself and any of my accomplishments. But you always taught me that successful people don't stop there. They push even further. You showed me that winning one battle wasn't the end of the war. There are always going to be new obstacles and new challenges that try to prevent me from getting where I want to go. But you taught me that the people who overcome these challenges are the people who never take time to look back. You are always working towards one goal after another. And you've taught me to do the same.

But there's one other thing that you taught me in your daily actions without ever saying a word. You taught what love really looks like. You showed me the kind of husband I hope to have one day. No matter what, you and Mom were always equal partners. You treated her with respect and love every single day. When I was younger, I thought it was gross to see you and Mom kiss in the kitchen, or even worse, in public. But now that I'm older, I realize just how special that really is. You were never afraid to tell Mom, or us kids how much you loved us. But more importantly, you showed us everyday in everything that you did.

You've taught me more valuable lessons throughout my life than I could ever list in one article. But the things I remember most are the ones you taught when you thought I wasn't looking. Who you are when you think no one's around truly is the greatest sign of one's character. So even when you think I'm not looking, I promise you that I am. And the only person I see is the greatest Dad that I could ever ask for. And for that, I'll never be able to thank you enough. But I hope that this is at least a good start.