Martin Luther King Jr. Day comes around every year, and every year it reminds me of my late father. He inspires me with the life that he lead, and the positive role model that he was for me. So with joyous memories in my heart, and tears in my eyes, I have written a poem to celebrate his life! As seen in the cover photo of this article, he was always sure to share his cool vibes with me.

This year, people know January 16th to be Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The one where schools give a public holiday and all remember the life, and the fight that he fought for civil rights, and the dream that he had.

Even if January 16th doesn't fall on the 3rd Monday of January every year, it still captures my heart for another reason.

January 16th will always hold a special place in my heart no matter how many years pass me by. No matter the turns life takes me, forget it I will not!

For such day marks the beginning of my dad's presence in this world. The day he made his grand entrance. One that changed the world for the better, even in the smallest way.

Sure he wasn't perfect but to his little girl, he was more than that.

Serving as a role model to look up to, one that I could aspire to be like. Grow to fill the shoes that you walked in!

How I wish that I could talk to you about things that I ponder: Engineering, Jesus, and life in general. To understand the way that you learned to understand the world. That it would shape my understanding or the limited version of such that I have.

I wish once again to be smothered in all of the ways that your big heart loved. Cared for me, even if I never understood that sometimes the wrath of discipline had such energy as its core.

Never always granting me my way then, and for sure not to agree upon every action I would present to you now.

Among such, I know that you longed for the day to protect me from the boys. To wait for them on the doorstep of our house to pep talk them, to frighten them enough to show them who held true authority.

The future man in my life will never be lucky enough to endure the twangs of nerves that such actions would cause him. He will never get to learn from your wisdom; informing of what life has unfolded to you, secrets that it has exposed with the passing of years.

But I like to think that from you, I learned to hold my own. To show them who is boss. To hold my ground with the strength that I learned from you.

I am so grateful for the eleven years that God gave us together. That even though the years that we had together didn't last long in time, it made up for in the magnitude of impact.

While my view and memory of you might be stuck in a childlike mindset, I understand more of what I remember about your character with each passing year.

Even thought almost 9 years has come and gone, the way you fought cancer, and loved the world with humor, still rings on.

Echoing in my heart the sounds of a joyous noise. Tickling my spirit in ways that ignite my discovered passions that are held in my heart.

Such echoes, they inspire me to be a better version of myself. Today and always, and forever more.

You will always be the best dad, and me your little girl.