I’m a Daddy’s girl and have always been. So much so that I have the gold
necklace charm that says “Daddy’s Little Girl,” but more importantly it is
stamped on my heart. As a child, I
wanted to be with him more than with anyone else. I remember getting up every Saturday morning, donning my
overalls that looked just like his, putting a grease rag in my back pocket, and
heading to the store to get a pack of Big League chewing gum so that I could
pretend to chew tobacco just like him.
I’m pretty sure that I even spit at times. These are some of my fondest memories as a child. I couldn’t have been more than 4 years
old, but already a bond stronger than this world was made.
I trust my dad implicitly. I have rarely encountered any hard decision in life that I
didn’t bring before him. He has
always given sound advice even when I didn’t agree with it. I know that no matter what, he will
always put what is best for me first. He steers me along in making life decisions that can
sometimes be very difficult alone.
He also has full reign of my remote even when he is at my house watching
my TV.
I have many memories with and of my dad, but one that stands
out so much for me was the night that my dad got saved. I was around 5 years old and as usual,
I was asleep on the church pew. I
awoke alone. I sat up with a bit
of fear that I had been abandoned and a lady, who I still love, reached up,
rubbed my back, and told me everything was okay. I lay back down and went back to sleep. I didn’t know then, but my life was
being changed forever.
From that moment on, my dad has always pointed to
Jesus. He has taught me the importance
of a relationship with Him. He
taught me how to study my Bible and how to pray. I can still hear him praying for me as a child and it still
warms my heart. I have heard him
pray for every member of my family and I just know that God has to be
listening. My dad was one of my
first examples of love. He has
loved me unconditionally my entire life and this love has sustained me through
the best and worst of times. He
corrected me when I needed correcting and he justly gave punishment for my
mistakes. In that, he also never
failed to tell me that he loved me and that more importantly God loved me and
always wanted my best. These
things have been the driving force in my life. I’ve failed many times and made many mistakes, but my dad’s
love for me mimics so much of God’s love for me that I know it is only a matter
of time until forgiveness will be offered. I also know that this life is not all we have. We will be spending eternity together
and will be “known as we are known.”
My dad took me to my first day of school my entire school
career. I’m pretty sure that it
was due to the fact that it was so hard to watch his little girl growing up and
he wanted to share in each year’s momentous event. I remember the first time that I told him that he could no
longer kiss me at parent drop-off.
It broke his heart, but he adjusted and let me kiss him at the end of
our driveway as a compromise. I’ve
never really been able to break his heart in that same way again. He taught me how to fish and I’m really
quite an expert, although, I have never taken a fish off the hook. He told me guns were dangerous and I
have always stayed clear of them.
He taught me how to take care of what God has provided. He showed me how to cut grass, grow a
garden (I’m still in the beginning stages), and how important a man is to the
home.
I’ve yet to meet another man like my dad. He is the first man that I wanted to
marry and I know that I can’t hold any other man to the same standard, but for
this girl it is difficult. I have
his temper, but I also have his reasoning. He has always told me that I am smart and can do anything
that I want. Even as a toddler, he
showed me how to stack pillows on the floor to reach the couch. He wanted me to be independent and
capable of coming up with solutions to my problems. He let me curl his hair with pink rollers and only made me
stop after he said, “ouch” three times.
He rocked me to sleep as a child and always made sure that my head was
turned so that I couldn’t watch the TV.
He started teaching me to drive at the age of 8 and made sure that I
knew how to drive a straight shift so that I was always able to leave any
situation.
I’m certain that my dad would tell you that he made many
mistakes as a parent. I’ll be
honest and say they really are few.
He loved me and taught me to love.
He shared the joys and sorrows of life with me, knowing that he had to
prepare me for both. He stood up
for me when as a teenage girl; I couldn’t stand up for myself. I recently asked him if he was worried
about a situation that I had once encountered. I wondered aloud if he was concerned that I might make the
wrong choice. His response was a
simple, “no.” I then asked him why
and he simply said, “Because I trust you!”
I wouldn’t trade my dad for any dad in this world. He is mine and thankfully, I am his. Happy Father’s Day to a man who wears
the name, Dad, so well. I love
you!
