I want to thank you.

I want to thank you for the years of great memories you always gave me. As a kid, I grew up idolizing you and dreaming to be just like you. I grew up wanting to be big and strong and independent like you were, wanting to own my own business like you had.

Little did I know as an innocent little seven year old boy that your life was not as great as the smiles in the pictures had shown. Little did I know that alcohol was tearing your life apart; that it would end your marriage and ruin your relationships with your kids. How could little seven year old me see beyond all the charades that this big strong man I had grown up idolizing wasn't so big or strong after all.

As I grew older, I saw the addiction taking over. I saw you gaining the weight, and the hostility growing. I saw your mood swings, and the depression became clear. It wasn't hard to see that the man I grew up wanting to be was falling apart in front of my own eyes.

I'd ask my dad how you were doing, but most of the time the answers weren't positive. I still loved you, even when others scowled at you. I believed in you, even when others thoughts you wouldn't make it.

So here I am, thanking you for all you indirectly did for me.

You showed me how underage drinking can tear a life apart. You showed me how "just one more beer" can turn into an endless stream of drinking. You showed me how easily things can fall apart, even though it looks like everything is fine on the surface.

But, as I continued to get older, the more things started to change. Yes, you were divorced and you lost your business and you and your kids didn't talk for a while... But that's not how I see things.

Your life is one hell of a story, and it's far from over. You showed me, more than anyone else in my life, how to fight through adversity. Yes, you gave into temptation. And no, you're not the perfect human being. But you fought through it. You fought and you pushed and you got to where you're at now.

You've become one of my biggest supporters, and I cannot thank you enough for the years of endless love and care you've given me, regardless of what you've had going on in your life.

Most of all, thank you for helping me realize all that I had to lose. Thank you for making me realize that one little party, or that one little drink is not worth a life of depression and addiction.

So, thank you...