Dear Step-father,

You have taught me many things since you came into my family, but perhaps the most important one is what "family" truly means. Through you I have learned that a family is not limited to just those related by genetics; they can be related by love. The love you have brought to this family and continued with throughout all these years is immense and incomparable, and I am forever grateful that I am blessed enough to consider you a part of my family.

Now that I am in college and on my own, I am beginning to understand and appreciate all of the love and lessons that you have intentionally or unintentionally taught me throughout these years together. Through your relationship with my mom, you taught me what real, true love looks like, and I will never settle for any man who treats me less than how you treat her. I have watched you coach many sports teams at our high school, and through experiencing that I developed a love for sports themselves and also a passion for coaching and helping others, just as you have. Your teaching and intellect has taught me that mankind's best asset is our minds; anything we set our mind to can be accomplished if only we have the knowledge to do so.

Each of these lessons has developed me into the woman that I am today. You have provided me with all the guidance and knowledge that I need to go out into the world, and hopefully, one day, I will be able to teach others as you have taught me.

Daddy,

Yes, after eighteen years I still call you Daddy. Some things will never change, just like how no amount of other parental influence or time away from home will ever change the great amount of love and respect I have for you. Ever since I was little, you have shown me the beauties of the world, but never sugar coated its flaws and dangers. You have always demonstrated the good in every person, but how different paths lead to dark ends. You have explained how to demand respect from others and how to be deserving of such, but also how to defend myself from those who only have angry hearts.

Because of your guidance and encouragement, I am a strong, independent woman. Especially now that I am in college and on my own, I hear your words of caution wherever I go, but also your words of encouragement to keep going and to fight through whatever situation I may face.

Through our adventures together when I was younger, from hiking off-trail through steep mountains, to paddling through rivers filled with wildlife, to biking over hills, to antique hunting through old warehouses, you have helped me see the world in all its natural and manmade beauty. As I enter my adult life filled with expectations of a new age, I always find myself reflecting and appreciating the older days when manmade technology wasn't skyscrapers jutting out of the ground or eight lane highways cutting through the countryside, but simply a cuckoo clock made from black forest pine wood or a simple bridge crossing a stream. You have helped me become an environmentally conscientious person whose goal is to help our earth retain its beauty and function. You have always seen the earth in its natural beauty, and I want everybody to see that same beauty for years to come.

To both of you,

I have been lucky in my life to have been blessed with two father figures who love me and encourage me in everything I do. Both of you have guided me through your own experiences to build me into the woman I am today. Even though I am an adult now and am entering the real world on my own, I will always be your little girl. No level of experience, career or otherwise, will ever change that.

I am grateful to have had the amazing parental influence as I did from both of you. You have taught me more about life that I can even fathom, and I hope that one day I will be able to pass on the great knowledge and guidance that you both have given me.

All my love,

Your daughter