Dad,

My best friend, coach, mom for 5 years, biggest supporter, chauffeur, 1st date to a dance, shoulder to cry on, teacher, provider, adventure buddy, accountability partner, and DAD, this one is for you. My favorite thing about that list of names is that I use over half of them to describe God. What a phenomenal earthly example of my Heavenly Father you are, thank you, I know countless girls who aren’t able to say that and I’m thankful for you every single day because of it. 

Growing up you let me play any sport I wanted and take piano lessons and really do a lot of things out of my own choosing but always made sure my yes was yes and whenever I committed to something you committed to helping me keep my word. You played catch with me and tossed softballs for me to hit for hours, gave me a goal of 20 overhand serves every day to get ahead of the game my first year of volleyball, played endless games of HORSE and around-the-world with Adam and I and always offered a listening ear to my off-key Christmas carols on the piano to make sure we were giving our best effort in everything we decided to do. Whenever I didn’t feel like going to practice or a recital, quitting wasn’t an option because even at 7 years old you instilled in me that my commitment was worth something and Jesus never did anything half-heartedly so neither would I as long as you had anything to do with it. I know a lot of that was also your own competitiveness being relived through us but looking back I wouldn’t have it any other way. It has shaped so much of my work ethic now and has even poured into the way I view being faithful to God in the small things so that he will trust me with much.

You provided for us and we were never in lack but also never spoiled (except maybe on Christmas) and as much as I might have wished I had all the latest and greatest in middle school ($200 bedazzled jeans LOL), I’m BEYOND grateful you raised us to work for what we have (even when that looked like doing extra chores for $7 a week) and not let us expect the world to be handed to us. You always did it right in the small things and I see so much of those values and lessons lived out in my day-to-day life.

You raised us to know, love, and trust Jesus with all that we are. I might not have appreciated that on weekends when I wasn’t allowed to stay the night with my friends on Saturdays because I had to be up for church the next morning or when I couldn’t participate in certain trends or watch some movies/shows that didn’t glorify the Lord but MAN am I crazy thankful for you protecting my heart when I was too young to know what that even meant or how to approach that. I remember you and mom never failing to ask God to help you be the parents He wanted you to be for us and to help you guys raise us in His ways during every meal time prayer. Some of my favorite memories are of Saturday nights and Sunday mornings when you and mom were studying for the lesson you were going to teach in class at church that Sunday and really modeled to me what it looked like to LOVE the Word and draw so much life from it. I used to deem my testimony not “as cool” or “powerful” as other peoples since I was raised in church and in a Christian home but now I look back and am blown away by God’s faithfulness and favor to have let me know him my whole entire life. Never for a second did I ever doubt his existence or goodness because of you two. God being real and loving me was a fact of life just like the wind blowing in Lubbock, Texas that day or the inevitable fact that the sun would rise the next morning, I could COUNT on it.

When mom died you became mom and dad. You quit your job where you had been for YEARS because you traveled too much and picked up something a lot more flexible so you could go to all of our games and make sure we spent time together as a family of 3. You sacrificed so much for us during those years… being strong for us while we broke down every other day begging God to wake us up from the nightmare that was life without her. You told us that God let her paint the sunsets and that really kept me going some nights. Still does when I see one so breathtaking, I like to think he gave her the paintbrush that night. You were the arms God used to comfort us, your patience and understanding with us made us feel crazy loved and cared for and is so much of the way I feel about how God’s love carries me now. You taught Adam and I to love each other better and to fight FOR one another instead of against. You were Super Dad of the Year 5 years runnin’!!! 

When you married Lisa you made sure she loved us with such a genuine motherly love and she treated us as her own. You did what you thought was best for our family and wow God has blessed us immensely every step of the way for SIX YEARS now (happy 10 day late anniversary)! You let me drive you around the neighborhood x12 a day when practicing for my license and kept your expressions of frustrations to a minimum when I forgot which one was the brake when pulling into our driveway and almost driving through the kitchen (whoops). You loved me through a rough couple years at the beginning of high school and, though I’m sure you were close, somehow refrained from sending me off to a farm or something to work until I was 18. You disciplined me and though I fought it and told you it was unfair and cruel, I can’t imagine were I’d be had you not set me straight and disciplined me with the most love and desire to see me grow into the woman you knew the Lord wanted me to be. THANK YOU FOR GROUNDING ME! Thanks for not letting my fits and tantrums and words sway you. Thanks for always finding the balance of trust/freedom and boundaries/rules to set me up for the most fruitful teenage years. I really really appreciate the way you did things, dad. 

When I finally got my head screwed back on straight and realized how infinitely greater life choosing Jesus everyday is, you supported me and loved me AND LIKED ME just as much as when I was turning Holy Spirit’s voice down to mute. Thanks for being constant and not letting anything I do affect the way you love and treat me. You paid my initial deposit for the race and cheered me on so hard as I worked two jobs all of senior year and fundraised for that journey neither one of us were ready for. You’ve never left my side for a second even when we’re 9,300 miles away I know you’re thinking about and praying for me. You were my coach for multiple sports for a few different years but since the day I was born I know you’ve always been on my team. 

I really think I could go on forever bragging about you and reminiscing on everything you did so right when I was growing up and how you continue to teach me things constantly even if I like to think I’m grown. You’re truly the best earthly dad I could imagine having and I’m G R A T E F U L  God paired us together for our little visit to earth before forever with him. I want to cherish everyday I get to have you here with me. I think about you everyday but especially today I could thank God a million times and it wouldn’t be enough to express how happy I am that you were born on this day 64 years ago. SO thank you dad for every single thing and then some but more than that, thank you Jesus for creating us and letting me call him dad and even more thanks for dying for him and loving him and having him in mind on the cross. You’re the best gift we could ever receive, thank you thank you thank you.