When I read Ashley’s post tonight—as well as others who haven’t had the best relationships with their fathers or who have lost their fathers, I realized how lucky I am.
Lucky that I live so close to my parents now.
Lucky that I had a dad who was always there for me, no matter what.
Who was there for everything growing up, despite working 70+ hour workweeks trying to make his textile business successful, teaching me about having a strong work ethic in the process.
My dad and me when I was just days old.
Disney, when I was 4 years old
Teaching me how to ride a bike (no wonder I’m 28 years old and I tried to pick up my bike in a dress)
Dancing with me at my sweet 16. Best way to bore a bunch of 16-year-olds? Make them watch a girl and her father dance to Butterfly Kisses. (It’s a really long song.)
(My first dance)
Who was there for my first first half-marathon.
(To say it was rainy is an understatement. My poor parents were using anything possible to stay dry.)
Who taught me how to ski. (Below, Stratton 1987; Stratton 2011)
Who taught me to do the right thing, always, even if the other guy is getting away with doing something the easy way.
Who taught me how to be humble.
Who enabled my love for learning by making sure I always had enough books and answering my (million) questions. Even now, as a [so-called] adult, one of my favorite times with my dad is when I’m home for a night or a weekend and he waits up (yes, still) and we have late-night talks that go well into the morning while I fix myself some munchies after coming back from a few drinks with friends.
Who learned to love my little dog, despite saying, “I hope he doesn’t scratch my doors when you bring him home†when I told him I was going to get a dog.
Who set the bar really freakin’ high for my future husband as an example of what a loving father and husband looks like.
It’s because I have such wonderful parents that I’m so close with that I live so close to them (that and they just happen to live outside the greatest city in the world)—I don’t want to miss any important family occasions.
I came home last night and my mom made her legendary spaghetti and meatballs. I had mine with whole-wheat pasta.
For Father’s Day, we let my dad go play golf while we ran some errands and went to see my cousin’s new baby before having dinner as a family.
Mom, don’t get any ideas. It’s going to be at least a few years before you get one of these.
Happy Father’s Day to all of the fathers and soon-to-be fathers out there!
What a sweet post, Theodora!! 🙂
That was beautiful. I just did the same thing, saw someone else’s and go motivated to write a letter to my dad, who sadly died way before it was time.
It is so nice to see how much you appreciate your dad now.
By the way, that adorable baby looks mighty fine on you.
How did we get so lucky to have such an amazing beautiful daughter like you!
Thank you, What a tribute to Dad. You are my sunshine and true to your name
Divine gift from God
Love you,
Mom
This is so sweet! I love hearing about father-daughter relationships. I’m sure you appreciate being so close to your family. Even though I’m 3 hours away from mine, I feel lucky to be able to see them relatively often and to have such a great relationship with them. I hope your dad had a great day!
What a sweet post! 🙂 Hope he had a wonderful Father’s Day with such a loving, awesome daughter!
I had to comment because my dad taught me how to ski at Stratton, too! I think it was either 1986 or 1987, so maybe we saw each other. What a small world. 🙂 Happy belated Father’s Day to your dad!