A Message from my Dad

I’ve had the chance to publicly share my love for both of my parents through my website. My parents each wanted a chance to share a message to me through my website. Grab your tissues and be ready for your heart to melt. Mine sure did ❤ I love you dad. Thanks for this beautiful letter.

Message To My Daughter.

Since the day you came into my life, I have been so thankful for the gift from God. You are truly an amazing woman, and I am blessed to have you as my daughter. You have always been a strong and independent person. I realized that very early on, when you would cut your own hair, smear lipstick all over your face, and gel your hair with Desitin, as a little toddler. I’m smiling right now at those memories (your mother may not be). You always had to have necklaces on and be dressed to meet the day for success. You picked up on everything very quickly and performed it with tremendous determination. One of your favorite toys growing up was a little red wagon with wooden side rails. You would load that up with your dolls and stuffed animals and pull it everywhere you went. Even when you were old enough to ride on your battery powered (pink) Harley Davidson motorcycle, you would fashion up a method to hook that red wagon up behind it to pull. As you got older, we would spend a lot of time outside playing catch with a baseball or football or playing basketball in the drive. I miss those days a lot. Life seemed so much simpler then. Life really got busy in the teen years. Friends, school functions, sports (school ball and traveling), church confirmation, boating tubing and skiing, along with lots of family camping on the weekends. I think we have been to most of the lakes and campgrounds in the state (not quite, but a lot). I have enjoyed watching you learn through it all with the biggest smile on your face. You have opened me up to so many experiences. From sports activities (basketball, gymnastics, volleyball, cross country track), school music concerts and plays, dance classes, beauty pageants, to large social events, to even getting up to sing Karaoke (let’s not make a habit of that one). I have learned a lot from watching you grow. Sometimes I think about the moments as a parent, that I wish I could have handled better/different. Things I wish I could have done, to spare you the pain that life can bring growing up. But I guess that is what makes us all who we are. We take the bumps and bruises; we get up and we keep pulling that wagon. I wish there was a life manual that, as a dad, I could open to the chapter and page, on how to handle all of the situations that I came across raising you. I know I was not perfect; far from it. For this I am truly sorry. You never stop learning as a parent, and you are never done parenting. When you were little, I would hold you while you were sick, comfort you as best I could, and pray that I could take away your pain. I wish I could take away your pain now more than ever. I wish I could trade places with you. I would do so with the happiest of hearts. I will fight this side by side with you Hailey and never let you be alone. You keep getting up after the bumps and bruises and you keep pulling that wagon load behind you now. I will be right there with you. We are going to beat this together.