To my stepdad,

I remember the day I met you so clearly. And I remember how much I hated you. Little did I know that you would turn out to be one of my greatest blessings.

I'm sorry that I hated you for so long. I blamed you for breaking up my parents and I wanted nothing to do with you. Now, you mean more to me than I could ever describe.

Thank you for being the father figure I needed when mine was absent. I still have my dad in my life, but you've been there first hand whenever I needed a father's support or advice.

Thank you for always answering my phone calls. I always know that if I'm having car issues, regardless of what time it is, you will pick up and help me out, even if it means getting out of bed to help me out of a snowbank in the wee hours of the night.

You were the first person I called when I slid on some ice and went off the road and was hysterical, and you knew exactly what to say to calm me down. When I'm bored and want someone to entertain me, you answer your phone and we'll talk for hours. Our phone calls are what got me through my first year of college.

Thank you for always being honest with me. You'll tell me if you don't like the guy I'm seeing and you'll tell me if you don't like my new hair style. I might be mad at you at first, but I appreciate your honest opinions, especially when it comes to guys.

Thank you for being another role model I can look up to. You work your butt off to provide for our family, a family that you chose to be apart of. You owe us nothing and yet you give us everything.

Thank you for making everything fun. A simple task like going to the grocery store is something I look forward too, especially when you help me convince Mom to buy the junk food that we both want to enjoy.

Thank you for being my friend. You went above and beyond your role of a stepfather and became my best friend, and that is the kind of father-daughter relationship I always dreamed of.

Thank you for choosing us. You weren't forced into this family. You weren't forced to love us, provide for us, or anything. You chose us. And that, to me, is such a special kind of love.

I always thought that having divorced parents meant having a broken family. You created the exact opposite. You brought this family closer than I ever imagined possible and as much as I wanted to hate you, I just couldn't.

I am thankful for you everyday of my life and I hope you always remember that.