The man who loved me first,

The one who knew me when I did not know myself. The man who loved a daughter when he planned for a son. Teaching her the little things in life, and against all better judgement spoiling the heck out of her. The one who made her do sports, stood through every game, pushed her to practice and coached the teams when no one else would step up. Full days spent at the fields learning to become a catcher to follow in your footsteps. Ice cream dates after games while singing country in the car without a care in the world. The man who surprised his daughter with a kitten, as well as buying her a bunny knowing that the burden would fall on everyone else. The man who drove hours to pick the perfect puppy from the crazy craigslist man and overpaying just to make her smile. The one who still constantly drives two hours away to stock a college student’s fridge or drop off a social security card early in the morning in order to be back in time for work. The countless times when snow plowing took over your days and nights. Not seeing you for almost weeks at a time just so you could get extra money in time for the holidays. Staying up all night to talk on the phone while an almost 19 year old is sick with the flu and does not know how to take care of herself.

The simple things to the big things that occurred over the last eighteen years; softball games, concerts and doctor appointments. Never there to judge me, just there as support. Always walking through the door with some half smile on your face after an all night shift for three nights in a row. There is nothing I look up for you more than these factors. Through our ups, downs and disappointments we always came out on top, even though poison control should have been called once or twice after eating your meatloaf. The relationship that we build over the last years is unbreakable. The time that we spent is not easily forgotten. I will have always learned what love is because of you. The way that I am supposed to be treated because of how you treated me and showed me my worth. Although, there is distance between us I always know that the man who loved me first, the one who held me in his arms and protected me from the world, is always just a phone call away.

Sincerely,