To The Dad who embodies what it means to be a Dad,
To The Dad who shows what it means to be a Mom,
To The Dad who is both Mom and Dad.
To The Dad is who is more than a parent,
To The Dad who is a friend,
A true friend,
A best friend.
A girl’s best friend isn’t a diamond,
It is her Dad.
To The Dad who brushed his daughter’s hair and held it back when she was sick,
To The Dad who taught his daughter how to bake,
To The Dad who taught his daughter how to cook,
To The Dad who taught his daughter how to sew,
To The Dad who taught his daughter how to count money,
And how to not get too frustrated with math,
And how to write an essay,
And how to be vulnerable and alive and true and real in her writing,
And how to chase her dreams, on stage and off,
And how to be unafraid even when you are afraid,
And how to know that life will work out
And everything will be okay
Even when you think it won’t be;
To The Dad who talked with his daughter,
Who truly talked and talks with his daughter,
To The Dad who knows his daughter,
Who truly knows and wants to know his daughter.
To The Dad who cares for his daughter,
Who truly cares for
And loves
His daughter.
To The Dad who acts like Aristotle and Socrates with his words of wisdom,
But unlike them,
He is actually right.
To The Dad who teaches through laughter and jokes—
Dad-Dad jokes—
The bad ones, the ones that are so bad they are good,
Lovable.
To The Dad who practices what he preaches,
To The Dad who demonstrates
Kindness
Compassion
Respect
Responsibility
Empathy
Intelligence
Thoughtfulness
Selflessness
Confidence
Courage
Wisdom
Affection
Love.
To The Dad who teaches through doing and showing,
Not telling.
To The Dad who thinks he fails everyday but really
Soars.
To The Dad who proves that failure is good:
A way to learn, a way to embrace, a way to grow.
To The Dad who makes falling fearless,
Who makes getting back up exciting,
Who brings the sun through the clouds,
The good through the bad,
The light through the dark.
To The Dad who gives you the world
And doesn’t even know it.
An Ode to The Dad—My Dad,
My best friend,
My rock,
My person.
An Ode to The Dad—My Dad,
Who always guaranteed that life and love were all mine,
And always will be:
“Who loves you?”
“You and mom.”
“How much?”
“A lot.”
“For how long?”
“Forever.”
An Ode to The Dad—My Dad,
The Dad-Dad,
The Ultimate Dad,
The Best Dad.
The Dad I will never know how to thank
Or love
Enough in return
For all he has given
And continues to give
To me.
I love you, Dad.