There is a substantial amount of things that you have done for me but not enough words or time to sum it all up.

Even though you were not the first man in my life, you were the only one who deserved the title of being called "dad."

I never understood the meaning of a "daddy's girl" until I became that to you at such a young age.

Thank you for coming into my life when you did, for always listening to me vent about how broken my heart was, for being my body guard everywhere we went which made most guys too afraid to come up and talk to me, for all the talks in my room when I did not know what to do in a situation — whether it was what college to get into or the drama going on with my friend group. I do not give you enough credit for all that you have done for me throughout the years, I appreciate you, Dad.

Thank you for loving me like your own.

You didn’t think twice about whether I was blood to you or not, you took me in as your own child and raised me. Growing up, I always had the scared feeling that I would be treated differently because I wasn't yours; soon I realized that I actually am yours and most of the time I forget that I am not your blood. I know how hard it can be to love and accept someone who isn’t yours, but you never make it seem that way.

You didn't have to but you chose to.

You didn’t have to take care of me, you didn’t have to read me bedtime stories before bed, you didn’t have to come to every one of my sporting events, you didn’t have to escort me for Homecoming court for two years, you didn’t have to pay for the roof over my head, you didn’t have to take the time out of your day to make sure that I was doing alright, you didn’t have watch me graduate high school, you didn’t have to help me pack up for my freshman year of college— you did all of this though and for that I am forever thankful. You have showed me that when someone leaves, it doesn’t mean that you weren’t good enough, it means that someone better is coming along.

I don't thank you enough for all that you do.

Thank you for always putting my happiness before yours. Thank you for making sure that every night before I went to bed last summer that I wasn’t crying myself to sleep. Thank you for slipping me an extra $40 when you know mom already gave me money, just because you know I might want to go out with my friends or stop at McDonalds. Thank you for sacrificing your job while fixing my ’98 Malibu once a week because it broke down. Thank you for supporting me in my academics, sports, choices, and my dreams.

Thank you for finding forgiveness in your heart for all the times I’ve lied, snuck out, been late for curfew, spent too much of my paycheck when I should have been saving, or when I went over my cellular data for the month.

Most of all, I want to thank you for stepping up and perfectly filling in the shoes that were never tried on.

You fixed all the broken pieces in my heart and filled the emptiness because of my absent “sperm donor.” He know longer deserves the title of my dad. It takes a special person to be a dad, and thats what you are. It is my hopes to love a man like you because you set the bar high. Sometimes we find it hard to bond about things, especially now that I have gone off to college but when I come home it’s like I never left. I know as the years go on, we might grow distant as I leave the state, as I (hopefully) find someone to spend the rest of my life with, as I pursue my dreams; I know you will always be there, Dad.