Everyone has a person who influenced their lives above all others. Just about everyone I know can identify someone who has been instrumental in making them the person that they are -- from the grandpa who taught him how to ride a bike, to the elderly neighbor who taught her how to make really good brownies. We all have someone who has been a constant source of support, a good shoulder to cry on, and an endless supply of good advice.

 

For me, that person is my dad, Terry.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I love every member of my family. I can go to every one of them, and I know they’ll always be there for me. But my dad and I have always been close. We’re similar people — we read like crazy, we love to learn, and we both really like good fruit. I remember trips to the library as a little kid — when my brother and sister would eventually get bored, my dad and I would still be standing in front of a bookcase, reading (and sometimes finishing) a book that we’d picked up not fifteen minutes ago.

He helped me when I got my first horse — from figuring out how to put the saddle on, to learning just what the heck it meant when the fish in the water trough started disappearing (did Major eat them?). When I was 12 or 13, we spent the night in the bed of his pickup truck, watching a meteor shower, and not so very long ago, he taught me to drive in his truck.

 

It isn’t just what my dad and I have in common that makes him special to me. It’s the advice I’ve received, and the things I’ve learned just by being his daughter. He’s the most conscientious business person I know — his M.O. is to make sure that everyone comes out happy, and that business is always conducted in a friendly, honest manner. He’s the person who taught me there is not just one side of an issue — there are multiple, and the best way to strengthen one’s own point of view is to know and understand those of opposing views. He’s spent countless hours playing devil’s advocate (much to my frustration), but in the end I know I’ve come out better for it.

My dad is the smartest person that I know, and I’ve learned more from him than any teacher I’ve ever had.

 

Being a dad is a rough and often thankless job. I’m sure when I was born, my father never expected that his daughter would grow up to be someone who actually has to be told to stop reading. I’m sure he never expected me to want horses, or singing lessons, or a $20 puppy from the newspaper. But somehow, without expecting anything in return and without knowing how things would turn out, he supported me in every single one of my efforts.

This Father’s Day, I hope everyone can take the time to thank their fathers for everything they’ve done. Life goes by quickly, and none of us know how much time we have — it’s important to remember those we have while we still have them, and they still have us.

I don’t say it enough, but I love you, Daddy. I hope that I can take what you’ve taught me and make you proud.

Thank you.