Thank you dad, for everything.

From the day I was born, I distinctly was referred to as a “daddy’s girl.” Of course, this does not mean that I did not love my mother any less than I did my father. Yet, I was and still am most definitely a “daddy’s girl.” So thank you, dad for inspiring me since day one.

From a young age, I saw my father as the world’s smartest doctor, the best cook, the person that would help me with anything I needed, and one of the strongest people (physically and mentally). I looked up to him, as most kids do their parents. He was and still is also my number one fan in everything I do. From the very beginning of my soccer career, my father did not miss a single game. He was one of those parents that was as loud as can be, especially when I had the ball. Now typically, this may embarrass certain kids as they do not prefer the attention drawn to themselves or to their parents, however for me it was different. I never minded that my parents were loud and cheerful from time to time, as that is what drove my motivation in the game, was to make my dad proud. So, thank you dad, for being my number one fan since the beginning.

Soccer was a huge part of my childhood as well as my adolescent period, and throughout every game, every tournament, and every soccer related event my dad was there to support me and give me advice as to how I can improve my skills. However, the support was not just when I was on the soccer pitch. My father has motivated me to do my absolute best in academics, as well as everything I am involved in, and this has shaped me into the young woman I am today. So, thank you, dad for being my number one fan and never doubting my potential.

Every night, my father would typically get home at 6:00 pm roughly from the hospital. He is a cardiologist, so his hours would range drastically. We would typically wait until he arrived home for a family dinner where we would tell stories of our days. After dinner everyone would go off and do their own thing, until bed time. My parents tucked me into bed every night, it was my ritual with them. Every night my dad and I would go through the ages of the patients he had seen that day. We would go in ranges of 10, starting with 20-30, 30-40, etc. Now, every so often my father would see young patients, however every night I would be so excited to know if he had a patient over the age of 100. I still remember how shocked I was every time he told me he told me he had seen a patient over the age of 100. Now of course he could never tell me their names, yet I did not need to know any personal information. It was just a nighttime tradition between my dad and I, and it was something I looked forward to every night. So, thank you dad, for making my nighttime routine something I looked forward to every single day.

Once I began to get older, I had my fair share of “teenage attitude” in which I still get picked on by my siblings and family about. Yet, getting through the stage where I can probably deem myself to have been “unbearable,” has indefinitely shaped who I am as a person. I remember countless occasions where my dad would sit me down, and try to pry what was bothering me out, as whenever he knew something was wrong and asked I would consistently say “nothing.” Yet, he was persistent to figure out what was getting into my head. Despite the countless occasions where I probably made him want to sedate me to get rid of my bad attitude. Now, at the time, I did not understand why my dad was always so persistent about wanting to know what was wrong, yet now I understand completely. He wanted to understand why I had such a negative outlook and general bad attitude on a constant basis. Finally, I managed to get out of my “negative adolescent stage” as I can probably refer to it, or how my father may refer to it as something like my “terrible teen” stage. So, thank you, dad for never giving up on me, and helping me to get through everything I needed to get through, even when I was completely unbearable.

Now, I pretty much tell my father everything. I have daily phone calls, or facetime calls where we will tell each other about our days. He is the first person I tell about a good grade I receive, an exciting opportunity I find out about, or anything I am remotely excited about. This is because I have grown up with the motivation to impress him by “doing my best.” Being raised under the idea that even if my absolute best isn’t perfect, it is still enough to make my parents proud has driven my motivation to impress them with how well I can do by giving my best. So, thank you dad, for always pushing me to do my absolute best in everything I do, it is the reason I have been successful.

I am now in college, hundreds of miles away yet I still ask my dad from time to time how old his patients are, I still call him to say goodnight, and I still admire who he is as a person the same as I did when I was young and thought he was the smartest person, and best cook on the planet. Now, I know he may not be the best cook in the world, or have the highest IQ of the millions of people residing on this planet.Yet, I still see him as incredibly smart all around not just in his profession, and the first person I go to for any advice. I still see him as my biggest motivation in sports, despite my inability to play anymore, I still see him as one of the strongest people I know, and I still see him as the person I go to for anything I need. So, thank you dad, for always being there, no matter what the circumstance is or how far away I am.

From what I know, growing up with my father as my best friend, my number one fan, and the person who would drop everything to give me the best life possible has made me who I am. Despite my inability to thank my father as much as I should, I know very well that I am extremely grateful to have the best father possible, as he is not just my father but my very best friend. So, thank you, dad! I am eternally grateful for everything you do.

Your daughter,

Tori