It is often difficult to voice your feelings to someone. Sadly, there are many times when people never truly know how someone feels about them. Lost in the madness of life, feelings get pushed to the side. This goes for me with my father. He and I have a good relationship, don't get me wrong. But as men, it isn't normal for us to discuss how we feel about each other. So with this article I want to say what I've never had the chance to say.
To my father:
You have always been there for me when I needed it. While this seems like a no-brainer, there are a lot of people out there whose father is not there when they need them. I am lucky to have a father that is always around and has always been there for me. During difficult times, he is always there for me to talk to or ask advice. While I don't always like the advice I'm given, because I am stubborn, you are honest and want the best for me.
You have given me stability and comfort even when it meant that you had to sacrifice. The sacrifices of a father often go unnoticed in this busy world that we live in. But I have always noticed the long hours of work, putting your own wants aside, going to work even when you have been sick or tired, all so you can provide a better life for my sisters and I.
You have shown me how to love and respect women. While, as a young boy, my mother showed me as best as she could how to treat women, it is a man's job to show through example. My father has loved my mother and respected her for his entire married life. He has gone to great lengths to better their relationship and love her in every way he knows how. My father is a man of little words, but his actions always show how he truly feels. There has not been a minute of my life where I have not seen how a man should treat a woman, and it is all because of how my father has chosen to live his life.
We live in a fallen world where morals are sacrificed for the sake of pleasure. My father has always put his morals and beliefs at the forefront of his life. He has been true to my mother for all 30+ years they have been together. I cannot express in words how much it has meant to me to have two loving parents who have weathered the storm together and never stepped out of their marriage.
Father, I want you to know that above all, you have given me the best life that I could ever ask for. You have showed me love and compassion, a stern hand when needed and a work ethic that is unwavering. Boys learn how to become men from their fathers. While I still have a lot of work to do, I am who I am today because of the example you have shown to me. I strive to be better and to work harder, all to show you that you have succeeded as a father. If I am able to become half the man that you are, I think I just might turn out alright.
