To the man who has made me the woman I am today,
I will always consider myself incredibly lucky to have formed a bond and a friendship with someone who isn’t just my dad, but someone who has been my number one since I was a little girl. As far back as I can remember, I looked up to you like there was no one better. If I did something wrong or got in trouble, you were the threat, because I hated disappointing you the most. You were the one who would spoil me rotten, whether it was coming home from work with a stuffed animal, or getting me a Happy Meal (and if they didn’t put the right toy in, you would always go back inside and get it changed).
You would “secretly” let me watch shows with you that I was technically not allowed to, and make me laugh at the drop of a hat from the moment I could speak. From there, we built our own understanding and language around our shared sense of humor. For my whole life, we have been in sync – something that has played a huge role in shaping my personality, interests and aspirations.
I inherited your nose, your eyes, and your pale skin. I have your ingrained sense of stubbornness, dislike of tomatoes and cucumbers, and the fiery temper that matches our red hair. You raised me through music, movies and books that formed so much of what I love today; the things that I will always turn to for comfort and entertainment regardless of my age. Huckleberry Finn will be the book that makes me think of you, I’ll never get tired of watching The Three Stooges on a Saturday morning, and I have you to thank for the adoration I have for horror movies.
I will be forever grateful that you never made me feel like there was anything I couldn’t do or I wasn’t allowed to like because I’m a girl – in fact, it was always the exact opposite. You pushed me to be the eager student I’ve always been, to not be afraid to raise my hand when I knew the answer, and never be embarrassed about reading the large Stephen King books that I toted back and forth to school as I read them. You helped me get through my most hated and difficult subject (math) and you passed on your talent to passionately debate the things you care about (namely politics).
You are the best cook I know, with the most annoyingly ceaseless sense of humor. I don’t really care when you tease me, as much as I like to pretend that I do. I will always look up to you, for how much you sacrifice for your family and for how tirelessly you work. There are few human beings that I know of who have gone through as much as you have, and can still remain as strong and full of kindness. Your endless love for animals has forever been imprinted on me, and I will never get tired of hearing you greet our cats when you walk through the door at the end of a day.
You are my dad and the man that I will never stop trying to make proud of me. You have seamlessly shaped me into the strong-willed, passionate and ambitious woman that I am today. Without you, I wouldn’t be me, and I wouldn’t be whole. I am grateful for everything that you have done for me and continue to do, and I will always be happy that I decided to choose Laurier like you did.
Love, Your grateful daughter, who will forever be your little girl.