Dear Dad,

It’s your day. The day that the people have designated as your celebratory time where the little munchkins you raised get to praise you and honor you for keeping them alive, keeping them fed, and keeping them loved and happy.

Father’s Day is one of my favorite days of the entire year, which is why I’m sitting on the first plane out of Toronto this morning heading down to meet my dad at the airport in Raleigh. Yeah, it’s true, I’m in town for other things this week too, but when booking my flight, the most important factor was that I would be there for my dad on his day.

So… this letter is to the Dad who has always been there, and that’s because it’s a letter to my dad. My unwavering, always supportive, loving and dependable dad.

You are 1 of a kind, in many many ways. In 2018, a dad that’s still around is kind of an anomaly. Needless to say, it’s incredibly rare. But you’re more than that. You’re not just the dad that’s still around, you’re the dad that is intentionally around. In everything you do, you are intentional. In all of your relationships, you are intentional. And in raising your kids, you have been SO intentional.

I could go on and on all day long with stories of times where you showed up… Like the time I was competing for a National Pageant in Orlando (a pretty long distance from home), and you surprised me by showing up before finals. Then, there was the time… well all the times, when I was stranded because I ran out of gas, or locked my keys in my car for the 10th time, or got a flat tire… You showed up every time. Let’s not forget about all the birthdays, all the holidays, and then all the days in between…

The days in between are the days when showing up counts the most. Well, in my opinion anyways. You’ve always been there for the big, extravagant things like dance recitals, pageants, volleyball games and cheer competitions. You’ve also always been there for the emergencies, like car troubles or when I contracted multiple viruses when traveling abroad and you nursed me back to health while everyone else was opening presents at Christmas. These things make me love you, but what makes me love you more are the normal days when you still showed up.

It’s the mornings when I wake up in Raleigh, and you’re sitting at the counter with 2 cups of coffee instead of 1. It’s the little texts in the morning when you’re just checking in to make sure I’m doing well. It’s all the millions of “little things” you do to remain a very present dad in my life, even though I live 12 hours away. And before moving, you were doing all of these things too.

So, you are the dad who has always been there, intentionally, without a nudge from someone else, specifically because you know what it means to be a dad. You have been there every single day since the day I was born, ready to catch me when I fell or prepared with flowers for when I succeeded. You are a good dad… No, you are a GREAT… YOU ARE THE BEST DAD.

To say I am blessed is the greatest understatement because I have been given the greatest blessing to be your daughter. When we were paired up 27 years ago, God granted me incredible favor. I am immensely grateful to call you dad, and I am so thankful for all of the lessons you have taught me by showing me how to live a great life as a good person.

I love you, Dad.

– the Daughter