Happy Father's Day

In this post about an effing awesome day, I mention that there were some not-so-effing-awesome parts. The super not awesome at all part was that my dad was in a car accident while we were in LA.  He's fine, don't worry.  The short story is that he was t-boned by an SUV at an intersection.  Dad never saw the other car coming, which may have saved him from a lot worse of an injury; his body never tensed, and therefore did not resist any of the movement he was forced to endure.  It is a miracle that he escaped with nothing more than a re-aggravated back injury.  The car is totaled, unfortunately, but we recognize it is a small price to pay.

My father is the world to me.  We don't often see eye-to-eye, but it doesn't change how I feel for him.  I recognize what a strong man he is.  Not just a father, but a man.  He's the most responsible man I know, taking care of things the moment they need to be done, regardless if the task is favourable or not.  He's incredibly honest, but still maintains the right amount of sympathy.  He works hard and sacrifices for the family.  My memories of him are dotted with late nights in the NATO office or overnight duty or training to become acting managers or Master Chief.  My father works hard and earns everything he's ever been given.

More than that, my father is my dad.  He kills the spiders on the wall.  He Raids the beehive hanging from our roof.  He tucked me into bed when I was little, kissed the boo-boo on my knee when I fell running down in the courtyard, held the camcorder at every dance recital and awards ceremony I ever had.  He immediately told me I was welcome to move back home when I was laid off my first post-college job.  He taught me to hold strong to my ideals, to be remember who I am, to learn and grow as I need to.  My mom gave me the environment to grow, while my dad provided me with the tools to learn.  He is the backbone to my world, the one who I will always be able to fall back on when I'm wavering.  He isn't perfect, and we fight much more than it probably seems; but he'll always be the man I can look up to and depend on and know that he will open his arms up to me with no questions asked, support me with a faith I work every day to be worthy of.

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers, and the mothers who are also fathers, and father figures in our lives.