Dear Dad,

When I hear the word “love”, you are the first thing that pops into my mind. You have spent the last eighteen years showing me what true love is, and what it can empower human beings to do. I have never met anyone in my life as selfless as you. Even on Father’s Day and your birthday, you’re always helping with the cooking and cleaning, even when we insist you don’t have to. Every time I ask what you’d like as a gift, you always say that there is nothing you want because I am the greatest gift you’ve ever received. Sometimes you’re extremely overprotective, but I know that it only comes from a place of love. You’ve consistently proven to me that my happiness is your happiness. Sometimes I wish that you’d spend more time doing things for yourself. But no matter how hard I try, I just can’t stop you wanting to give me everything you can.

I very recently did something that I once thought could only be a dream. On May 16, 2016, I was accepted to my dream college, a top-tier drama school in New York City. You just keep telling me how proud you are. However, you should be just as proud of yourself. There’s no way in the world that I ever could have done this without you. You drove with me an hour and a half to audition coaching sometimes up to four times per week. You made master calendars with all the dates of my auditions and visits. You helped me proofread my essays and seventeen different applications until they were perfect. You constantly reminded me that I was capable of doing anything I wanted to. And now you say that you can’t believe that you have a daughter who achieved what I just did. But Daddy, I didn’t achieve this alone. We did this together.

As Father’s Day rolls around again, I keep replaying in my head all of times you’ve told me that I am your entire world and that your life would be nothing without me. I find it even more astonishing that you have not once mentioned that you are sad to see me go to college. I know you are going to miss me, but my excitement for my future brings you a joy that outweighs any sadness. This again just proves that my happiness is your happiness. I almost find it hard to believe that a human being could love someone so much, and could give so much without wanting anything in return. I have no idea what I did in my past life to deserve being raised by you.

Sincerely,

Margaret