Dear Dad,
I'm sitting here today, unsure of where to start because I have so much to say. I'll start with I love you. I want to say thank you. I need to say I'm sorry.
I'm not very good at showing people how much I love them, but I love you more than I say and more than I demonstrate. You raised me in love, to love, and that is a gift that will never be taken away from me.
I want to say thank you for being my teacher. You taught me to stand up for what is right. You taught me how to defend my beliefs, my faith, everything I stand for, and you taught me why that was so important. You taught me how incredible it is to overcome your fears: skiing, jumping into the pool and driving all come to mind. You taught me how important it is to do your research and know as much as you can about something before you speak on it. You taught me how to live more responsibly, making smart choices and allocating my resources.
Thank you for always supporting me. You helped me make a plan when I decided on a major, and you didn't skip a beat when I said I wanted to change it. You pushed me to challenge myself, but not to stretch myself too thin. You let me make my own mistakes to teach me how to survive on my own, and you're always still there to help me when I need it the most.
Thank you for teaching me what a man of God looks like and how he should live, and how he should love. Thank you for teaching me what kind of relationship I should strive for, that I shouldn't settle for anything less. This is the most valuable lesson I've learned from you dad, and I don't even know if you've realized you taught me this.
I want to apologize for every time I let you down, every time I disappointed you and every time I hurt you. I know I wasn't always the easiest kid to have around, but you never failed to show love and kindness, even when I didn't deserve it. I'm sorry for every time I yelled things I didn't mean or intentionally hurt my siblings. I'm sorry I made your stressful days a little bit worse on occasion. But you always forgave me, without fail.
So thank you dad, I love you.
I love you the most,
Your daughter
