To the man who taught me what love is, thank you for showing me the beautiful side to being young and in love. The late night food runs after we are both off work, the 3am mornings we wake up in a panic to missed calls from my mom, the endless arguments over which movie to watch, and even the times where you loose a life to protect me from getting shot in Call of Duty. I can't express how grateful I am for every single moment we share.
To the man who taught me to be myself, you are a blessing in disguise. I've lost track of how many times you've told me to stop pretending. It's the little moments where you've brushed my hair back in that messy ponytail just so you can see my face, the times you've taken off all my makeup against my will just so you can kiss my nose and call me beautiful, and when you've wiped away my tears as I worried about what college life would bring. You told me it is okay to cry and to worry but after kissing my forehead, you told me to be the best version of myself as I could be.
To the man who showed me how important family is, you changed my life. As someone who has very few family members I am close with, you have completely changed my perspective of family. I see family as my mom and dad. You see family as your parents, your grandparents, your siblings, your nieces and nephews, and your dogs. Watching you with your nieces and nephews gives me a warm feeling and I can't help but see how wonderful you are with kids and how much they love you. As an only child, I'll never get to be a biological aunt but I already know you are an incredible uncle. Just seeing you with them shows me no matter where you end up, you will be the most amazing father down the road. I have yet to meet a single member of your family I didn't instantly connect with in some way.
Finally, thank you to the man who picked me up. As different as our paths have been up until this point, none of that matters anymore. I've been broken and bruised multiple times over the course of my life. With you, there is no broken pieces on the floor, there is no broken heart, there is no bruises from the world around us. Since the day we met, there hasn't been a single moment I couldn't see being with you for a lifetime. You have healed every burn and scar, taken the ashes, and hugged them so tight and loved them so much, they have evolved into something beautiful. Out of the ashes came a diamond, a relationship built on a strong foundation of religion, family, trust, and love. In every language, gracias, merci, mahalo, thank you for every smile, moment, hug, and kiss. I couldn't imagine riding the roller coaster of life without you.
