It’s Father’s Day. It’s Father’s Day, and I picked a fight with my dad.
Why on earth am I telling you this?
For one, because it’s real. Because sometimes daughters do stupid things like fight with their dad on Father’s Day. For two, because it actually made me think about all the positive things about my dad, rather than just focusing (unfairly) on the things that can frustrate me.
One thing my dad said today really stuck with me. In reference to raising me, he said, “I hope the good outweighed the bad.”
And, Dad…I can honestly say it did.
By far.
You are infinitely patient. Today’s fight was not actually a fight in the true sense of the word, only because you refuse to be ruffled by my insensitivity and anger. You have an amazing ability to stay calm and rational in the face of so many things.
You know who you are and you know what you believe. You have an unapologetic surety that I admire and envy.
You are a dreamer. I am a dreamer. We get each other.
I have never questioned for one moment whether you love me, and I know that is a blessing I take for granted far too often.
You instilled in me a love for words. You read me Shakespeare before I could talk, and you always made sure books were part of my life. You encouraged my love of writing, and you have always been my biggest fan. I hope I have been yours too.
You support my dreams. You believe that I will do the things I want to do in life, and you are kind and loving when my ideas don’t pan out the way I thought they would.
You have an entreprenurial spirit. You are always full of ideas and overflowing with thoughts, and I definitely inherited those characteristics from you…and I am so happy that I did.
You are the person I can debate with, have intellectual conversations with, and really talk with. I treasure all our long talks about God, the world, a book we just read…everything.
You bleed orange and blue, and you taught me to bleed that way too.
Your unconditional love for Mom is special. I am only realizing it’s importance now.
You have put your family before yourself on so many occasions, and probably many times I never ever knew about.
Dad, you really are wonderful, and I’m lucky that you are my dad. I’m so glad I was able to see you on Father’s Day this year.
I love you. So much.
Happy Father’s Day.
anwenbackup 
If I am usually Once_a_King, today I Am_a_King after such sweet words as this. You are right, we didn’t fight, we talked, even if the talking clearly involved pain for both of us. I want to know what causes pain in your life even when it turns out that my mistakes are a source of that pain.
And let me say clearly that you are a delight to me — always have been, are to this day, WERE on this day, and you will go on being a delight to me in the future. You yourself outlined so many ways that we “get” each other and it is great to share so much with you. And even though I am sometimes on the wrong end of it, I have always loved your high spirits that make going through things with you — just about anything and everything — so much fun. I have always said that your high spirits would lead you to success in all you do — and look around! I was right. It is a pleasure seeing where you are, where you are going, and where you will be someday.
Sometimes I fancy myself a bit of a writer, but in the face of this kind, expressive, and exceptional writing I am pretty much at a loss for words. I am glad you wrote so well what we have together because it is all so true and I couldn’t have written it myself, or written it so well either.
We had some tough moments today but we took it to such a good place — more understanding of each other, more respect, more love, and an even firmer foundation for an even stronger relationship in the future.
So thank you for being my daughter, thank you for being my little girl, and thank you for the words in your card and in this post that I will treasure forever.
Wendy, you really are wonderful, and I’m lucky that you are my little girl. I’m so glad I was able to see you on Father’s Day this year.
With love to Little Anwen Evenstar,
Daddy
PS From one dreamer to another: It really is a hard world, isn’t it? But despite that — may all our dreams come true.
You guys are making me teary-eyed!