My father is everything I strive to be: compassionate, supportive, reliable, dedicated, adventurous, strong, independent, bold, funny and caring. Because of the amazing person he is, I always feel a little warmth radiate off my smile when someone mentions that, “I am my father’s daughter.” Not only is he a stand-up guy, his active presence in my life has molded me into everything I am.
My father’s strength is something I admire the most about him. When I was seven-years-old I was diagnosed with cancer just a short six months after my younger sister’s cancer diagnosis. I remember getting a phone call from my dad the night my mom and grandpa drove me up to the hospital. Our brief phone call was the first and only moment I heard my dad cry throughout the entire year my family battled two cancer diagnoses. Even though I was the one who had cancer and went through the surgery and chemo, it’s difficult to fathom how painful it was to watch not just one, but both of your daughters go through the cancer process and not break in front of them. My dad was always strong for our entire family and it’s something I see in him everyday.
My dad has always had my best interest at heart. He is incredibly passionate about his kids succeeding in life and he does whatever it takes to give me and my siblings the tools we need to achieve our goals even if that means working 80-90 hours a week between his career and the business he runs on the side that he built himself. He always encourages me to do my best and he never fails to send me encouraging messages or the thumbs up emoji whenever I send him a good grade or tell him about something I accomplished.
Don’t get me wrong; our relationship is not always smooth sailing, especially since we are pretty much the same person. Sometimes the waters get a little choppy and there are for sure days that feel like a hurricane has come through and destroyed everything in its path. No matter what though, the sun eventually peeks through the storm clouds and we clear the debris we left in each other’s hearts after an argument. Difficult times make our bond even stronger and the relationship I have with my dad is something I hold near to my heart.
For a while when I didn’t know what I was doing with my life their was brief time I moved back in with my parents while I was in the process of transferring colleges. I had my dad there everyday to remind me about things I needed to do like clean my room, feed the dog and do my laundry; but most importantly I had him there for support, guidance and a few too many dad jokes. Now that I live in Milwaukee and don’t talk to him everyday, I find his wise words of support and comforting guidance in the lyrics of one of my favorite country songs.
The first time I heard Tim McGraw’s song Humble and Kind, I laughed out loud to myself. The lyrics sound like my dad had a jam session with the country artist and together, line by line, they wrote down everything my dad has said to me over the course of my life. Because I wanted to figure things out on my own, I didn’t listen to my dad’s words of advice when he first gave them to me years ago but now I don’t take them for granted. When Humble and Kind comes on the radio it’s a gentle reminder of how much my dad truly means to me and how important he has been and continues to be in my life.