Dear Daddy

A lot of who we are, we get from out parents. For me, that is true; there is a wonderful mixture of parents that make up who I am. But first and for most, I am and will always be a daddy's girl. That is something I have always prided myself on. Always.



Dear Daddy,


Last night wasn't the best between us. I'm sorry. There are some things I think you should know, things I think about when I think of "who dad is":

Growing up, you were the one I feared (I mean that in a positive way). It was as if you were the punisher and mom, well, mom was mom. Mom was who we thought wouldn't notice when we tried to "get away with murder". Come to find out, mom was smarter than us (shocking, I know!) and ratted us out. Then it was "wait till your father comes home..." That was never a fun couple hours, and those couple hours were worse than anything you could have said to us. Little did we know mom was punishing us before you got home! It was as if she planned it. (Way to go mom!)


For my dance recitals, you always brought my flowers before my performances, as if you knew I would be great. And when I wasn't (we all know I wasn't a prima ballerina) I still had that pink rose that my daddy gave me. I was my "good luck/have fun/I know you will be great" rose. You didn't make every performance (Japan got in the way a time or two, I believe) but I always remember having that rose. Now that I look back, I remember that rose more than my recitals.


The most influential time is a time I go back to when I need that "pep talk." Christmas Night back at Countryside, on our Christmas walk with the whole family, I was walking next to you and out of no where (at least to me it was out of no where) you told me you were proud of me. It was the end of 1st semester freshman year at Purdue, I got a 3.0 on the dot. That isn't major for most, but that was huge for me, after all, I didn't get good grades High School. I will never forget that night, where we were on Countryside Road, and what I was wearing when you said "I'm proud of you". That was the night I thought "I can do it - he believes!"

You have been proud of me many times in my life, probably more than I can count. But that is one of the times it has stuck out more than any other time. That is something I aim for everyday when I am at work. I want to make you proud. I want to make you smile when you say "that's my daughter" just as I smile when I say "that's my dad". I am not as strong as you, but trying, not nearly as intelligent (but again, trying!) but more than anything else, I love being your daughter. I couldn't ask for a better dad.

I love you daddy!
Your daughter