Growing up, I always knew my dad cared. He was the dad who took all of my siblings on four-wheeler rides around the yard, taught us to drive, how to handle black ice in an Illinois winter, and later pulled us out of those roads that got the best of us. So, Dad, I want to say thanks, because Hallmark cards don’t say enough!

Thanks Dad for the hours you’ve spent teaching, guiding, and caring for me. Thanks for being a rock of support in my life that I know I can always depend on. Thanks for showing me what a man of God looks like, how a loving husband should treat his wife and how a father should care for his kids.

Thanks for every hour you spent throwing a softball around the yard and for showing me how to effectively swing a bat. Thanks for teaching me through my mistakes and making me less afraid to tell you each time I did something stupid. Like getting stuck in a snowy ditch at 11 o’clock at night. Thanks for the mornings you took me to breakfast and asked about my week and the things that I loved. For dropping me off at school with a full belly and the knowledge that my dad loves me! Thanks for taking me to the Daddy-Daughter date night at church and for buying me a flower corsage.

Thanks for having my back always, but for teaching me that I’m not always right. Thanks for never babying me but for pushing me to be better. I didn’t always enjoy the discipline or work you taught us, but I’m incredibly grateful now. What I saw as frustrating Saturday yard work, I now see as strengthened character.

And I know that no marriage is perfect and yours is no different, but thanks for showing me how much you love my mom. For every time I’ve seen you laugh like best friends; every time I’ve seen you argue but then work it out; every time I’ve heard you praying together; every time I’ve seen you encourage each other, I’ve taken mental notes.

For twenty-one years I’ve watched you work hard, treat others with honesty and integrity, live boldly, and seek God with faithfulness and obedience and I've learned a lot from you. Thanks for not only being present in my life but for being someone I don’t want to live without.

Thanks for being my dad!