Me and my Daddy

Normally I am just to a fault--fairness is one of the most important virtues to me. Certainly I know that life is not fair and all that, but I can certainly try and be fair. All that to say, after writing about mom for Mother's Day I have long been intending to write about dad too. Below you will find my top 5 favorite memories of my father.

I grew up in a family with 5 younger siblings. My home was almost always busy, happy, and exciting, but I learned early that time alone with daddy was valuable and worth seeking out. Dad started out with 2 daughters before he finally got his son, so my earliest happy memory with him is learning all about football--rules, penalties, positions, and scoring. That of course led to many happy memories watching football with dad.

Dad also taught me about fishing as a young girl, and to this day I love to fish. My favorite fishing memory with my dad was when we were camping one day. Me and dad got up earlier than everyone else and went trout fishing for a few hours. We had been waiting for two old men to vacate a lucrative fishing hole for most of that time and we finally started catching stuff when they left. Unfortunately a thunder storm started right about then and we had to take the boat to shore and seek emergency shelter under a tree. I don't remember what we talked about but I do remember feeling special and important and loved.

My next memory is not nearly as specific. I was a typical teenager, sure that my world was tumbling down around my ears at the slightest provocation and one day when I was crying over some reason that I'm sure I would twinge over now dad gave me a hug and wiped away my tears. His thumb was large and calloused and I felt like everything would be alright--I will never forget the love behind that gesture.

Next happened recently. In 2011 I ran a marathon in Kansas. Don't ask me where this crazy idea came from cause I still don't know, but mom, dad, and one of my sisters all came to support me. As I crossed the finish line they were all there to greet me and dad didn't seem to mind that I was sweaty and disgusting he just held open his arms and hugged me to him. He still thinks it was a wildly crazy idea (rightly so, I guess) but he still supported me.

My favorite favorite memory though was when he sent me off on my mission. I will never forget the way he hugged me and the feelings we shared then.

I love my dad! I am so lucky in the parents that I was given.