Daddy

Last week my dad came down to take me out to lunch. He had the week off and since we didn't get to spend a lot of time together during Thanksgiving break, he thought it would be fun. We went to Cafe Rio and talked for a couple hours. After my dad left, I went to my room and just started crying as I said a prayer of gratitude to my Heavenly Father for giving me such an amazing Earthly Father.

 

My dad has always been one of my heroes.  And with good reason.  He is truly an incredible person.  I have wanted to figure out a way to fully express how much I love him in words, but I never seem to convey exactly what I want. Until then, here are some of the things I love most about him.

He has always been willing to sacrifice anything for his kids and their families. Most of my childhood he woke up at four in the morning to go to work so that he could be on the sidelines cheering his kids on at soccer games.

He is pro at filling up the gas tank and washing the windows. Oh, and backing the car too. I always say that someday I will be as good as him but, let's face it, that will never happen. He loves working in the yard and takes great comfort in knowing it looks good. He can be quite the perfectionist when it comes to mowing the lawn.

He calls me Cutie. And Bosina (although that one is much less endearing).

He taught me to work hard and to always do my best. I remember my dad telling me over and over again that it didn't matter how good I was at something, just as long as I was trying my hardest.

I love that when I wake up at home I wake up to the sound of my dad playing with and making Max laugh as he chases him down the hall. Or the tickling the girls until they are screaming with delight.  I love watching and listening to my dad interact with his grandkids.  I tell him all the time that he has a gift.  Especially with his boys.  Man, those boys love their grandpa.  

I don't have a car, so I often feel kind of guilty when I go home and my dad has to bring me back down to Provo.  But, at the same time, the selfish part of me loves that I get to spend a little extra time with my dad, just the two of us.  Even if it does make me miss home a little bit more when I get out of the car and walk back into my apartment.  

I love his hands. They are calloused and often have scratches or scars. To me, the are proof of the dedication he has to hard work.

He is shy and reserved, but is always the one to go out of his way to talk to everyone at family things. I feel a great sense of pride when I see him go around and make sure that everyone feels involved and loved. To go along with this, I know he will do anything in his power for any of his brothers or their families. It has been an amazing experience for me to watch my dad and his brothers look out for one another, despite their differences. They are great examples.

When he gets new clothes, which is only when my mom insists he needs them, he likes to keep the tags on when he wears them because it drives my mom nuts. He loves to pull his pajama or sweat bottoms up super high so he looks like a total nerd. He loves NCIS and Phineas and Ferb. He also loves "The Princess Bride" and "Legally Blonde". Deep down, I also think he likes "Gilmore Girls" because we made him watch it with us so many times.

He is a rock. He is always there to provide love and support without judgement. This, I think, he got from his mother. Sometimes I wish he would just tell me what to do, but he trusts me to make my own decisions. When he really needs to be though, he is the voice of reason. When I was trying to decide where to go to college, he asked me where I wanted to go. I told him I wanted to go to BYU and he matter-of-factly said, "Go there then." I started protesting and saying that logically made more sense to go to USU. It was one of the only times I've ever seen him truly exasperated as he told me that he didn't care if it made more sense. He told me he loved me but that sometimes I needed to let my heart have more of a say than my head. He knows me so well.

He is humble. I honestly do not think I have ever met anyone as hard working or caring as him. But if you ever told him that, he would deny it.

I got to go on two road trips with him this summer. I loved getting to talk to him and just be with him. He isn't as much of a talker as I am (shocking, I know), but I will forever be grateful for the extra time I got to spend with him this summer. He was so willing to just go with the flow and do whatever everyone else wanted.

He loves for people to think he is scary or to be intimidated by him. But the truth is, he is the world's biggest softy. I can't look at my dad any time I sing because he starts crying right away and then I can't make it through the song. He has a sensitive heart and spirit that makes him prone to feel things very deeply, a trait he seems to have passed on to a few of his children.

He honors his priesthood and is always willing to give me a blessing. He has also set a good example for all of my brothers and helped them to become amazing priesthood holders as well.

He loves my mom SO much. I love that my parents have always shown affection for each other. My dad respects my mom so much and has taught all of us how we should treat her.

He has a strong testimony of the gospel and is always trying to make it stronger. He is always reading some scripture guide or discourses of a prophet. Because of this, he knows a lot about the scriptures and is always willing to answer my questions. He tries to keep learning all that he can and strengthens his family in the process as he always taught us what is right.

He believes in me and is proud of me. It might sound silly, but this one is especially important to me. I second guess myself all the time. I am afraid of trying to achieve my goals because I am afraid I won't make it. But he has never doubted that I'll achieve my goals. Often when I tell people I want to go to graduate school, they make it clear they think that will never happen, for whatever reason. Not my dad though. Instead, he has taken to often asking me if I have any ideas of where I want to go. If he has any doubts, he doesn't show it.

There is one experience I will never forget. My dad was driving me back to Provo from Centerville the summer after my first year of college. We were stopped at a gas station and my dad was filling up the tank and washing the windows. As I sat there, I got tears in my eyes as I realized something. My first year of college I was exposed to so many things and places that I thought I wanted to experience. And I thought I wanted to marry someone who felt the same way. Yet, in that moment, I decided I didn't need someone who wanted to travel the world or go on lots of exciting adventures.  What I needed was someone steady and hard working, just like my dad.  Someone who will love me for all my faults, as my dad loves my mom.  Someone who will always put our family and the gospel first in life.  Someone giving and kind, who knows what people need and tries his hardest to provide that for everyone around him.

So yes, despite the fact that I am 20 years old, I call my dad Daddy. Because no matter how old I get, he will always be my Daddy. And I am grateful for that every day of my life.