Dear Dad,
I want to take a moment to thank you for everything. You don’t get the spotlight very often, and you’re okay with that. But I want to show you how much I really do appreciate you and everything you do.
1. Thank you for the pep talks and life stories.
We may joke around that, “Oh, here comes another life story,” but in all honesty I have learned so much through them. You turn scolding me for doing something wrong into learning a valuable lesson. You ask questions and let me make my own decisions through that. This is something I will never get tired of (no matter how many times I hear them).
2. Thank you for comforting me.
When I come crying, you aren’t full of “I told you sos” or even advice that I’m just not ready to listen to. You comfort with open arms and an open mind. If I come to you with, “I want to leave. I hate this. I want to move.” You answer with, “OK, let’s find out the problem and solve it. You want to move, where do you want to go? How can I help you?” Because you know I’m being irrational and by doing this you help me to think through things. And that is more than anything I could ever ask for.
3. Thank you for teaching me how to be passionate.
Our family is known for loving the sport of basketball. You, however, taught me to be passionate about whatever it is that I love, even if it isn’t basketball. People always thought you forced us to play sports, and they couldn’t be more wrong. You taught us that whatever it is we want to do, to put our whole heart into it.
4. Thank you for jamming out to Taylor Swift in the car with me.
And on that note, thanks for being my date to the concerts and getting just as excited about her performances as I do. You don’t love Taylor because she rocks, you love Taylor Swift because you see how much I do and how much she means to me. So thank you for that. Plus, who doesn’t love a catchy song like "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"?
5. Thank you for showing me what unconditional love really looks like.
I feel it. I can honestly feel how much you love me. Not only that, but I see it every day. I see the compassion you have for the dogs (especially when Mom kicks them off the couch). I see it in the way you talk to your students and players; you legitimately care about them and what they love. Lastly, the way you treat Mom is incredible. I hope one day I will be so lucky as to marry someone that is half the godly man you are.
There are many things I could say about you. But most importantly, I want to tell you how much I love you. Thank you for being the best dad I could ever ask for.
