My Daddy

I am proud to admit that I always have been, and always will be, a Daddy's girl.  From some of I earliest memories, I remember sitting on Dad's lap as he would read me the Sunday funnies.  We would do so much fun stuff together, like make woodworking projects, go fishing, go berry picking, collect recyclables, make trips to the library.  Life was never dull with my Dad.  I loved when he would play his guitar, his song for me was Puff the Magic dragon.  And one of my favorite treats was when Dad would get out his slides from his time in the Navy.  I loved setting up that screen in our living room, and looking at the pictures from Spain and Greece.  I thought my Dad was the most interesting man in the world.

I learned so much from Dad, and I still am learning.  As a little girl, I learned to swim thanks to Dad, I learned to love to read, I learned how to bait a hook, I learned that hard, honest work is never something to be ashamed of, I learned that boys better treat me right or else.  The lessons and skills that Dad taught me are limitless.

My whole childhood, my Dad worked 2, sometimes 3 jobs to make sure we were provided for.  That meant I did not always see him much, but when I did, that time was precious.  My dad is now retired, something he definitely earned, and it makes me happy to see him getting to relax and enjoy life.  Dad is still always willing to help us and teach us. 

I never, ever, thought I would find a man as good as my Daddy.  There are no words to describe how loving, and giving, and good my dad is; those are some big shoes to fill.  Dad has watched me go through some pretty awful relationships, and always tried to stress to me that I deserved better.
 
How blessed was I to find someone like my Daddy, after 30 years of waiting.  When I met Hubby, he started out by being my best friend for a couple of years.  I was always struck by how much he cared about me as a person, and how unconditional that caring was.  He was such a good man, even then I saw it.

As time went on, and we finally got together, I knew this was the man my Daddy had wanted me to wait for.  And when we told them we were getting married, Daddy was happy and proud of the man he was giving me to.

The more Hubby and Dad get to know each other, and the more I see them together, the more I realize how similar they are.  When Dad recently came to spend a few days here to help Hubby with our new floor and fence, I got to learn more lessons from him, as well as show him how well I put some of those lessons to use.  And all the while, Hubby and Dad were like two peas in a pod.

It is because I have such a wonderful Daddy that I ended up with such a wonderful Hubby.

Thank you Daddy, for all you have done for me over the years, but especially for being the role model for what a good, godly man should be.  Whether you realized or not, I really was paying attention.

Happy Father's Day to my Daddy, and to all the other daddies out there.