Dear Daddy,

I learned, during my first year working on The Daily Evergreen, that each year for Mom’s Weekend, members on staff write columns for their mothers. We even produce a special Saturday issue in light of the occasion. Learning all this made me a bit disheartened. “What did we do for Dad’s Weekend,” I asked. I was informed that fathers get a football game.

For me, that’s simply not enough. Fathers deserve to hear they’re appreciated and loved just as much as mothers. In my case, this is even more important as it was my father who raised me, who loved me, who is responsible for who I am today. He raised my two sisters and me on his own, by himself. He played the role most often assumed by mothers; he was a single parent. To me, he was both mother and father. He was, and forever will be, my daddy.

My daddy is the most amazing man I know. Those who know me, know I am a daddy’s girl. He and I share a bond usually shared between a girl and her mother. He is my friend, my confidante, my ever present support system. He knows me better than anyone else in the world. He believes in me like no one else in the world. Desperate for me to do more with my life than he feels he has done with is, he taught me I can do anything I set my mind to. He encouraged me to reach beyond myself and to explore the world around me.

I was his first child, born in many ways when he was still a child himself. I don’t know if with only 21 years under his belt he was really prepared for me, but I came anyways. He’s loved me ever since. He continues to show me his love each and every day. He sacrificed so much for me and my sisters and I know he would be willing to sacrifice so much more. His happiness is tied to our happiness. Our success is his success.

I am so like my father, and this thought gives me comfort. His life has not always been the easiest. The life of a single parent never is. But he has taken it all in stride, never complained, and never regretted any of the decisions which led to bringing his children into this world. It’s difficult for me to imagine being loved by someone as I am loved by my father and loving another as I love him. His love is truly unconditional and unending. I know he will always be there for me. For giving me this knowledge, I want to thank him. Since I can’t tell him with the rest of the staff, I hope this will do. I wanted to have the opportunity to let him know, I love him too, much much more, than even these words can express.