To my father and my brother,
You two have sure set the bar high. I'm not quite sure how any guy in my life will ever be able to compete with you both. You've shown me what it means to be respectful, kind, confident, adventurous, and hard-working, and because of that, I only have the highest standards.
Your respect for the people around you constantly inspire me. You both are smiley and kind, and you never fail to offer the most genuine compassion to everyone you come in contact with. Whenever either of you shakes someone's hand, addresses someone properly, looks someone in the eye as you speak, or stands up tall as you meet someone new, I remember that respectful men do exist.
You are both so incredibly selfless. To you, dad, who was the first to offer to shave your head to make me feel better and less alone when I lost all my hair, and to you, my brother, who I've seen give up your seat a countless number of times to women or to older people on public transport, thank you for showing me what a selfless man really is.
You are both so family-oriented. Thanks to you, dad, for rarely missing a lacrosse game, volunteering at all of our sporting events, and making dinner for mom almost every night before she comes home from work. Thanks to you, my little brother, for never being too cool to eat dinner with us (even though you're 16) and always having a blast with mom, dad, and me on family vacations. You two have instilled in me a standard that will never be let go. Family comes over everything, and I will never, ever, settle for less.
You both work so incredibly hard. Dad, I've never seen you give more than your best effort in your job. Brother, I have seen you up until 3 a.m. working on projects for school and pushing yourself to your limit in the gym so that you can achieve greatness on the playing field. You both have shown me that apathy is not something that I ever need to deal with.
I laugh when I'm around you both. I am my best and happiest self when I am around you both. Thank you for inspiring me to respect myself, to work my hardest, and to never settle for less than the qualities that you two have in any man.
You've set the highest standard for me. Because of that, I know never to settle for anyone who gives me anything less than I deserve. You two are the best men I know and the best men I will ever know. I'm blessed to have you two in my life.
