Dad, I wish I could thank you for everything you've done for me but this post would go on for days.

I guess I could start off by saying thank you for choosing me. When you married my mother you chose me too. You didn't have to choose me, but you did. You chose to hold my hand as I learned how to ride my bike, discipline me when I needed it and cheer at every competition or game I played.

You chose to step up to be the man I never knew I needed. I never thought I'd need a man to tell me right from wrong or to tell me who I needed and didn't need to hang out with but I did. And it's you.

You gave me a place a live, a place to come to when I needed a shoulder to cry on, and most importantly, you gave me a home. You were there for all my birthdays and every sleepover when there were tons of girls; where I'm sure you'd much rather be having a guy's night, yet you stayed with me.

You chose me when I couldn't choose myself. When I had nights to where I wondered my worth and questioned why I was still here, you showed me. You taught me to be tough. Tough by your standards and not only being able to wipe the dirt off my face when I fall off my bike, but to also be able to get up every time life knocks me down. To look life in the face and ask if that's all its got.

You taught me to fend for myself. To be able to be independent and dependent at the same time when need be. You taught me what it's like to have someone's back. To stand my ground, walk a mile to avoid a fight but never back down.

I'm sure being a Dad isn't easy. Raising rowdy girls who never seem to settle for anything, including finding a place to eat, and being able to handle us by yourself. That's what a real man is. You will never know how much I appreciate you and all of the "Little" things you do for me and for my siblings.

Dad, Thank you. Thank you for choosing me when I had nothing left. Thank you for giving me love when I forgot what it felt like to be loved. And thank you for choosing me many years ago when I needed you most. I love you.

From, your not-so-little girl.