"To a father growing old nothing is dearer than a daughter."- Euripides

I’ve always heard girls say “my dad has set my expectations for what I deserve from a man and how I should be treated.” I never really took that into consideration because my dad never verbalized directly to me how a guy should treat me. Then I starting analyzing and thinking about everything my dad has ever sacrificed, worked for and done solely out of love for myself, my family and others around him. He has taught me how I should love, and accept love in return; why it’s important to never give up on your loved ones even if they have given up on themselves, and how passion is not only found within yourself but within the things you admire.

I’ve seen my father vulnerable on several occasions; that doesn’t make him any less of a man in my eyes, it makes him the man most men strive to be. He’s always been the father who is strong, courageous, and not nearly as close to perfect as I make him seem. We’ve had our setbacks, screaming matches and misunderstandings but they have only made us more considerate and aware of each other. I’ve seen him breakdown and silence himself for days, weeks and even months. As I’ve grown older and our relationship has gotten stronger, it has been easier for me to sympathize with him and truly understand his actions. Without realizing it, he has always been my best friend.

Whether it was fixing something around the house, or leaving a note for my mother and I because while he was out of town, my father has shown his love for us in so many ways. I’ve read the dozens of love letters and I’ve seen the drawings he did for my mother. I’ve looked at hundreds of photographs and videos of him simply smiling at me or my mom. He’s shown me that love is something you shouldn’t take lightly. I guess that’s where I learned to hopelessly romanticize everything. With all this being said, no guy will ever be half the man my father is, and I’ll be damn lucky if anyone comes close to it.