My Dad

One of my most cherished memories of spending time with my dad was one night when he was driving me back to college, after a weekend at home. We were nearing Olivet (it was an hour's drive from Howell) and we were having this great conversation. He asked me what I was going to do once I graduated. I admitted to him that I didn't know and I remember being really scared to say that out loud. His response? "I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up," he said and went on to tell me about all the things he still wanted to do with his life. That has stayed with me, that moment and I think about it all the time. And I'm thankful that I have a father who encourages me to be my own person, even if I have no idea what that means from day to day.

My dad is amazing. He really is, ask just about anyone who knows him. He's taught me how important relationships are throughout life, mostly by the way he treats his own. He loves to talk on the phone (which is funny because he doesn't really like to call people, weird, I know) and one of my favorite things to do is call him in the middle of the day when he's at work. We'll talk, about anything and everything, and just make sure we're caught up on each other's lives.

My dad is also smart. He is our family's resident Trivial Pursuit champion and he knows just about anything (ask Ang, she calls him from Arizona and asks him for directions, and even though he's only been here twice, he'll have the answer for her). He's also hard-working. He went into the Air Force at age 17, then when he got out he went to work. It wasn't until well after I was around that he had the opportunity to go to college, and I can still remember going to his graduation, Angela and I in our new dresses, so proud of our daddy, the college graduate.

My dad is the one who stayed up until after midnight with me every night, helping me pass my AP American History class, quizzing me on facts and helping me to understand. He's the one who went on the class field trips and always got stuck with all the rowdy boys and loved every minute. He's the one who stood outside in below-freezing temperatures, directing traffic for my high school choral festival. He's the one who came to every single golf match I ever had, in high school and college. Even my last match, that he told me he couldn't make it to because it was at St. Mary's in Indiana. I remember being okay with that, although certainly disappointed. However, when he showed up, having driven for hours in the rain to be there, I remember feeling so lucky, so special. That's the kind of dad he is. He makes me feel like I am the most important person in the world.

My dad volunteers for any and every single job at church, he puts the sprinkles on the Christmas cookies, he puts clean sheets on my bed before I come home, he cries at sporting event on TV, he steps up when no one else wants to, he joined a writing group last year, he teaches Bible studies and Sunday school, his favorite Johnny Cash song is Boy Named Sue, he likes scary movies, he loves to read, he's really, really good at crossword puzzles, he's lost a lot of good friends in the past few years, he loves cookies and those candied orange slices my grandma keeps in the candy jar just for him, he likes talk radio, he's been known to yell at people who get him angry, he listens to me talk for hours on end, he saved up for a few years to get his new golf clubs, and he will do anything, absolutely anything, for my mom, my sister and I. He is simply amazing.

Dad, I love you. And I can't wait to see you on Tuesday night!