Dearest Papi,

Its been a long journey since we decided to finally become a family on that chilly night in March of 2003; since you became an actual person and not just the idea I grew up with or the person I'd see only one week, every three or four years; since I finally had a person to call Papá. This so called journey has been a tough one--filled with ups and a whole bunch of downs. Along the lines, I failed you. You failed me. We failed each other but we've learned a lot.

Unlike most of the girls, I am aware that you were not my first love nor did I ever get to see you as my own hero as a little girl. You missed my first steps and my first word was certainly not "dada." We missed a lot, and although your sacrifices don't ever go unnoticed, I missed you while growing up. I know you know this because you continue to think that you failed me as a father, but I know I failed you too and I will always be sincerely sorry for that.

I missed growing up by your side. I missed having you there to yell at me when I was wrong. I wish I'd seen you run after me every time you'd see danger coming my way. I remember how much I hated not having someone to bring to all the events specially put together for Father's Day in school. We missed knowing and accepting each other but it is after all those bumps in life that we managed to jump over, that I've come to realize that the amounts of times I've expressed my love and respect for you have been limited.

Being that time of the year in which we get to celebrate the greatness of having a father, I am here to say thank you for putting up with my teenage years and for never stopped loving me. I can honestly say how grateful I am for this day, because unlike any other year, today I get to tell the world that I have a father whom I love and appreciate every day of the year. I get to remind myself that my father is also a friend I can count on and go to every time I need advice.

You and I know that this past year in particular has been something new for me, because it is until now that I get to comprehend each and every one of your sacrifices, from what led you to have to leave your family to what it meant for you to be ready to bring us all together again.Today, I get the chance to celebrate you, as a father and as a best friend whom has not only tried to make up for all the years that we were apart, even as I pushed you away, but who has taught me to be strong and who has supported me each and every step of the way even when his little girl "was ready to walk on her own."

Today, I get to not only ask you to forgive me if I ever failed bad enough for you to never forgive me but also to remind you that I love you deeply and that I'm lucky to finally have found a hero of my own, that I proudly get to call Papá.

~Te amo.~