I laugh to myself when I explain my situation to people; constantly questioning why I still refer to you as my stepdad when, in reality, you're not my stepdad anymore - you haven't been for a number of years.

The reason for that isn't because of the thousands of miles that separate us, nor because of any sort of change in our relationship, or the one that brought us together. The reason is that, to me, you're so much more. To me, you're just my dad.

In my mind, it's always been my mom and I alone; just the two of us taking on the world. But, that's not true at all. You are in my earliest memories. I genuinely cannot think back to a time in my life when you weren't around. You have always been there and I know that I can count on you to always be there - because that's just what dads do. You were the one who taught me that, and I couldn't be happier or more grateful that it was you who was there to do the job the right way.

Yesterday, someone asked me who I would ask to walk me down the aisle. It caught me by surprise because I thought the answer would be so abundantly clear. I only have one dad, and that's you. You completely changed the storyline of my life. You added so much love, wisdom, and adventure. You were the one to take me to my father-daughter dances, to drop me off and pick me up at school, to listen to me try to learn to play the saxophone and be truly excited about it. And, when you weren't able to physically do that anymore, you made sure to check up on me, my grades (yes, he still does now, even in University), to ask about sports games and extracurriculars, and you flew across the country to watch me graduate. You're the reason for all of the football paraphernalia that sits proudly in my room for which I brag to people that it's "my dad's favorite team" whenever I'm asked about it. You taught me pretty much everything that I know about cooking and you were always there for dinner to bargain with me about how many more bites of green beans I had to take until I was done.

I used to find myself envious of all my friends around me who had what I assumed to be the perfect white picket fence family. But, as I've gotten older, I've come to realize that the grass really isn't always greener. In fact, it always was, and still is, the perfect shade of green on my side. I know I probably haven't always been the best daughter and I'm still learning. I wish I got to see you more, I regret the probably ample levels of sass that you received from me (because we know it's my specialty). With that said, I know that regardless of my mistakes, you'll still always be there to help me to correct them, to accept me for them, and to teach me lessons along the way that will resonate with me forever. I know you'll always be there to love me unconditionally like a dad should love his daughter, because you always have, even when you didn't have to.

In the conventional sense, being a dad is normally not a choice. Considering that my life is usually anything but conventional, I was able to watch someone make the wrong choice, while you stood there, two feet planted firmly in my life, and made the choice to take on one of the biggest roles possible when you weren't even obligated to. You did a perfect job and you continue to every day. Your bravery, patience, humor, and purely kind heart make you one of the greatest gifts that I have ever received. As a "stepdad", you truly stepped up. With you in my life, I've never felt like I missed out on any sort of father-daughter bond because you gave me that. I am so grateful for you, dad. Happy Father's Day. I love you!

Love,

Your daughter