Dad

After four plus decades in the workforce, my dad crossed the threshold into retirement yesterday!  He has always worked hard and provided well.  His co-workers think the world of him, and he has made valuable contributions on every job he's ever had.  So as he closes this very long chapter of his life, I not only congratulate him, but I want him to know how very proud I am to have him as my dad.


I think when you're a kid, you don't realize just how much of an impact your parents are having on you.  For better or worse, whether by design or without intent, they set a standard for us.  They impress on us certain values, ideas and world views that we don't fully appreciate until we're grown.


Especially as a teenager, my dad became the voice of reason for me.  He was never really one to just say, 'because I said so'.  He listened to me, entertained my ideas and offered his own in a way that didn't belittle mine even when he surely was hoping to sway me in a different direction.  


It is with great fondness that I look back on the many late night conversations my dad and I would share.  When I would come in, he would always be up.  I never got the impression he was waiting up on me, but now that I have kids of my own, I wonder if he was.  Either way, I always knew he was open for discussion.  Sometimes the topics were light as we both loved sports and sharing the mundane stories of our days.  But often, the topics were quite serious.  It's with my dad that I first discovered my love for talking about politics, religion and all things worth debating.  It was with my dad that I got my first impressions of how life really works.  It was with my dad that I first began to form opinions about all the hard subjects...things that I find even the most seasoned among us still cannot come to agreement about.  


It was with my dad that I really learned my own value.  Because he thought I was special, because he valued me, because he respected my ideas (even when he didn't necessarily agree with them), because he treated me fairly, because even when I was small, he made me feel empowered to do whatever...to be whoever...I wanted to be, because he loved me, I loved me. And because my dad was the man he is, he showed me exactly the kind of man I deserved to share my life with.  


My dad may be unassuming, but he should never be underestimated.  There isn't another like him...not for me anyway.  And while some men are happy to be measured by their contributions in the workplace, it is in the hearts of those who love him that my dad will always be head and shoulders above any other.  


I love you, Dad.  Thank you for being you...and thank you for shaping me into the woman I am today.