An Open Letter To My Dad

Dear Dad,

There are so many things that I don't thank you enough for you. I wish I had finished this letter sooner. When I first started writing this letter my dad was healthy and here. Things took a bad turn and now you will not be here for so many exciting moments. However, I don't want to dwell on what you'll miss but rather all the things that I have to thank you for.

Thank you for teaching me how I should be treated. Every Valentine's day you gave mom, me, and Molly flowers. You also the one year gave us giant stuffed animals. You set a standard that we should never lower for anyone.

Thank you for going to the movies with me. I know there were probably lots of movies that you really didn't want to see but you went anyway. One of the funniest things ever will still be going to see "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" and you ordered a pretzel that weighed one pound not fully understanding that it would be the size of a pizza and take all of us to finish.

Thank you for spending over days online and on the phone making sure that we got the best laptop possible for school. You did it making sure that we would be set up to have a great four years at college.

Thank you for the countless water polo games that you attended while I was in high school. That includes driving us to school and home for 6 a.m. practices. I know you had a hard time waking up and sometimes mom had to drive us but you still did it.

Thank you for sending me a text every night saying you love me and that you hope I had a great day, that I got all my homework done, and to remember to get a good night's sleep.

Thank you for cooking even though you weren't the best cook. You made us so many meals and a lot of them I never want to eat again in my life. Some of the memories are funny like the time you cooked the pizza to the cardboard and others just gross like the microwave meals. Still, I'm grateful you did it.

Thank you for buying the weird stupid things you did for me just because you thought of me. Like the many, many, many goldfish containers that I would always have waiting for me to bring back to ISU with me when I came home for a weekend.

Thank you for the weekends we went to Blueberry Hill, it's still one of my favorite places. Even though we ordered the same things you always let me steal the last of your triple berry crepe.

Just thank you for being my dad. I love you.