Daddy's Girl

Dear Dad,

It’s no secret how much I love you.  Everyone knows…even before I tell them what a “Daddy’s Girl” I have always been.  They say they can see it in the way I look at you.  I hope so.  And I hope you can see it, too.  As a kid, you were my hero…you still are. 

I have a memory, guess I was about 6 years old, of sitting in the middle between you and Mamma in the car.  I remember exactly where we were on that long meandering road that took us out to the lake.  I remember the sunshine.  I remember our car.  I remember looking at the two of you…and then out over the pastures as the cows grazed and thinking, “God must really love me to make me their daughter.”  That memory overwhelms me, still…because I feel the exact same way every day.

So thank you, Dad, for loving me back.  For teaching me about God. For the little sips of coffee that you used to spoon into a saucer just for me before you left for work in the mornings.  For waking up during my ballet recitals when it was my turn to dance…and then being the one clapping the loudest.  For not caring when I struck out…..at T-ball. For always accepting me for me…even when I had pink hair.  For comforting me when I had a broken heart.  For teaching me how to drive a 5-speed…when I was 13.  For letting me make mistakes. For teaching me that, “They can’t eat ya.”  For being my biggest fan.  For helping me find strength I didn’t know I had.  For showing my kids the same love you have always shown me.  And for always having open arms…and an open heart. 

Happy Father’s Day.  I love you, Dad…Rab

My FAVORITE pic of me and my dad...1976-ish