Dear Dad,
After a year of being apart from you, I have realized so much about you and our relationship that has allowed me to recognize two very important things. The first is that I am eternally grateful for the love and support you’ve provided for me throughout my life, and the second is that I’ve realized just how incredibly lucky I am to have such a great father. I also feel like I owe you an immense apology.
From the day one, you have been my biggest supporter. You helped me grow up and you instilled in me the life lessons that I use each day. You helped me to heal from my every fall, be it a scraped knee or a broken heart. You've shown me how to be strong but also how to let others in and be emotional.
You’ve taught me about my own value and how I should expect men to treat me. You’ve treated me with the utmost respect. Although I never told you, your constant reminders of my beauty were the most meaningful compliments I could have received. When I struggled to find my beauty in the mirror, you helped me to see that my worth was not found in the details of the face that stared back at me but rather in who I am.
You’ve taught me how to smile and have fun, how to truly enjoy the life I’m living. While I may not always have a smile on my face or have a positive spirit, you’ve shown me the value of being present and weird, and how it is in the random situations that the greatest adventures arise.
Because of you, I have had the chance to be brought up in a faith that now is the center of everything I do. I may not have had the same opportunity to come to know and love Christ were it not for your constant push toward faith and support of my growth. I only pray that in the future we continue to serve God and grow in faith together.
You’ve also instilled in me a great appreciation for the outdoors. While I may not find that same enjoyment out of fishing that you do, I find so much beauty in nature and I might not have this same appreciation if it were not for the many camping trips or journeys to the lake. Thank you.
However, through all of this, I feel like I have taken you for granted, and for this, I must apologize. I am so lucky to have you as a dad, but so many times I got angry with you for placing restrictions on me, many of which I couldn’t see as fair. I see now that every rule, every restriction placed on me was not in an attempt to hold me back, but to protect me. You weren’t acting out of the selfish desires to keep me home, young, innocent, but rather you were acting out of the desire to keep your precious daughter safe. I am so sorry for every moment I’ve taken you for granted in my life because having you as my father is one of the greatest blessings in my life.
Words cannot thank you enough for the tremendous impact you’ve had on me throughout my life. You are one of my biggest role models; I can only hope that I can be half as great of a parent for my future children.
I love you.
Always.
