This is going to be hard to put into words the love and admiration I have for my dad. So let’s begin with today and move a little backwards. For those of you that know me, I get my love for people and my love for talking from my dad. Hands down! This guy can talk to ANYONE! He loves any social environment and if you give him a cigar and a beer, well you better cancel all of your other plans!
Two summers ago I sent my dad with Elsa to a soccer tournament where he proceeded to make friends with all of the moms from her team and whenever he comes to her soccer games now they can’t wait to see him! This guy can make instant friends.
Another thing I admire about him is his unconditional love for his grandchildren. We live about 6 hours away from my parents and this has not stopped them from forming the most beautiful bond with my girls. When they were little, he would get up with them early in the morning and take them to the park while I would sleep. I think he really misses those days but now he gets up with them and drives them wherever they need to go with a quick stop at a donut shop. He would drop everything to come here if we needed him.
Growing up I remember he worked long hours, but when he got off at 5am he was there taking us where we needed to be and always putting our activities before his own (especially his sleep!) He is the most selfless person I know. But all of these things that he does are never out of obligation, but out of pure love. It brings him so much joy to be there for us - you can just see it on his smiling face.
As I have gotten older I feel our father daughter bond has only grown stronger and it is so beautiful. I wish you could see into my heart as I write this blog to really see how I feel about him but for now I will end this by saying “I love you so much dad and hope and pray that you know how grateful I am for you.” xo
~Jen
It’s sad to think my dad only gets two celebratory days for him, he deserves them all. I get my love for people and my love for athletics from him. From a young age, my dad has mainly taught me how to play softball, soccer, and basketball… he never played those sports. It amazes me how I gained so much knowledge from a man who has never played the sports I did.
No matter what sport I was playing, I received the most incredible amount of love and support from my dad. He would support me if I wanted to start something new or stop playing a certain sport. It doesn’t matter what it was, my dad was always by my side. He drives me to tournaments, he puts up with my friends and I on the boat, he helps me figure out physics problems, he listens to my endless school speeches, and he tries to force me to eat protein.
I mean c’mon, who wouldn’t want that kind of dad? It is very safe to say that I have the most loving and encouraging dad there is. It’s hard to explain how much love my dad and I have for each other, so I hope this helped scratch the surface of it. He works so insanely hard for my family, I could never thank him enough for what he does for me.
~Elsa