Open Letter to My Daddy

Daddy,

I sat down to write this letter as a public declaration of my private appreciation. The words ‘thank you’ seem inadequate for a person who has always been in my corner and never managed to fail me. Certainly, as an adult, through adult eyes, I see you as fallible (as all of us are). However, you remain one of the best people I’ve ever met.

Thank you for seeing me as special and even, some days, extraordinary – and making me believe those things were true. Thank you for cooking and chauffeuring, and for agreeing to always pick me up from anywhere – without the mandate to discuss in that moment how big an ass I’d made of myself.

Thank you for not asking me questions that already had answers and for hearing my heartbreak through my silence. Thank you for being intimidating without being mean. And for being stern without being loud. Thank you for all the advise you offered. Even when I failed to take it, I was listening. Thank you for allowing me just enough room to fall on my face without cracking my skull.

Thank you for gifting me with poetry and music and dancing and wit and logic and laughter.

It is my belief that every little girl deserves a father who makes her feel like a princess and lets her know when she’s grown into a queen. Thank you for doing that for your daughters, and continuing it with my daughters.

Sometimes people live their whole lives without knowing all the great things people feel about them. Know this. More than being my daddy, you are a very good friend. We don’t get to choose our parents, but if I had a choice, I’d choose you every time.

What a blessing it is to know you, and even better to call you daddy.

Yo! (so you’ll know it came from me)