It's that time of the year again to celebrate the fathers of the world. Personally, I've been lucky to celebrate this day in honor of a few great men in my life.

I grew up with two amazing men, both my dad and grandpa. I was very much a daddy's girl, told I had both of these men under my thumb, the favorite little girl in their lives. I probably used that to my advantage and I appreciated every minute that I spent with both my dad and grandpa.

I have so many fond memories, enjoying things like dinners, game nights, holidays, birthdays and snow days with them. However, both men passed away when I was about ten. My dad and grandpa have been gone for the majority of my life and have missed out on a lot of milestones in my life.

While this makes me sad whenever I think about it, and I wish these aren't things I have had to go through, I am lucky in one aspect.

I've had a step-father that has been in my life since before my dad and grandpa passed away. So, he has been present for all of those milestones. I wanted to thank him for everything in honor of Father's Day.

Dear dad,

I wanted to say huge thank you for everything you have done for me the past practically a decade in a half.

I know that in the time I have been in your life, a lot of things have happened, be it my life or yours or our household. But no matter what ever happens in your life or between you and other people, you have been by my side every step of the way.

Initially, having a step-dad was an adjustment. It's strange to add another adult in your life, but I eventually got used to the idea of having another father figure.

After my dad died, you promised me that you would always be there for me and be the father figure that I needed. Sometimes I felt like this was held true and other times I didn't. That wasn't anyone's fault and I think most of the time things were out of our control.

After my grandpa died, you were truly the only specific father figure in my life. Sure, I had other men in my life that were good guideposts, like men from church or friend's fathers. But you were the only one that was consistently there, for birthdays, promotions, graduations, projects, jobs, etc.

Thank you for being the one that was there cheering for me on my first day of high school about your Alma Mater. Thank you for being one of the people teaching me to drive. Thank you for supporting me in field hockey and being excited for me when I started new endeavors like the school paper.

Thank you for being there for my graduation, for supporting me in new jobs and being there for sad moments like people and animals passing away.

I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me in the past and I really appreciate having someone like you to be by my side. You are a dork, you're supportive, you're funny and sometimes adventurous. I am so grateful to have you in my life.

Happy Father's Day!

Love,
KC