Dear Dad,

It's so difficult to put into words how thankful I am for all you've done for me these past couple years. The amount of care you have given me makes me believe that "thank you" isn't enough to show my gratefulness for you.

October of 2014, I truly believed life would suck without having a mother in my life to be there every single day and teach me how to become an incredible woman. Then I realized that I didn't need a mom to lead me to that path because I have a father who can do it just as good, if not better.

Every day for six months after that day I asked myself, "Why me? Why did I have to be the girl to grow up without a mom to take me shopping? Why wasn't I at the nail salon getting mani/pedis with my mom? Why isn't my mom teaching me about safe sex and birth control? Why isn't my mom here?" Every day there was a new question. I just needed answers, but instead, I shut my mouth and allowed myself to wonder.

As the months counted up, the questions began to fade. I started to deal with it because I was really only hurting myself. As the days went on and I let the pain of watching her walk out the door heal, I was also becoming closer with you. For that made it all better.

You were there. You were there to answer any questions I had. Although there were some wonders I had that were embarrassing and seemed like questions only a mother could answer, you made it okay and made me feel comfortable about coming to you whether it was "Dad I need a new dress," or "Dad I need tampons."

Not only did you fix my curiosity on life, but you made me stronger. Every day you lifted my spirits and told me to keep my head up. Every day you sent me a text telling me to have a great day. Every day you reminded me you loved me and that you'd always be there.

Thank you for making me who I am today. For making me see the positives in life. For helping me grow into a woman. For being there when nobody else was. For making everything okay.

Thank you for being my number one fan. Wishing me good luck when I had to take a test. Rooting me on in competition with others. My favorite was knowing that you'd be there on the sidelines every time I looked up off the field. You gave me the motivation to play better and score every single game because my motivation was always to make you proud of me. To come home with that 100 percent on my test and to hear you scream my name when I scored another goal. It made me happy to know you were always there.

Thank you for helping me get through the rough time of living half a country away from my mom. I never thought it would get easier, but it did because I had you. You made me strong, you made me hold on when I was crashing down. You made the pain go away. Even at times you couldn't stop me from hurting, you were there to cry with me so I knew I wasn't alone.

Most importantly, thank you for being the best father and mother I could ask for. You made it easier to be who I am today. Thank you for giving me what you were able to provide for me. Thank you for doing your best as a single parent. Thank you for letting me get away with stuff. Thank you for having my back and supporting me. Thank you for never giving up on me.

I know that "thank you" will never be enough to show you how appreciative I really am, but I promise one day I will make it up to you and show you how grateful I truly am to have you as a father. You make me thankful to be alive and to live the life I have. You are forever my best friend. Here's to you, dad. Thank you.

I love you

Yours truly, Kellie Girl.