Dear Dad

Dear Dad,

Happy Father's Day. I just wanted to share a few of my favorite memories I have of you.

{1} Remember when you taught me how to weld? You hired me to work at the shop one summer in high school. I first started with sweeping floors, cleaning toilets, sorting metal scraps, and putting pieces in the tumbler(?).... then I was promoted to: welder-that-welded-the-pieces-together-that-none-of-you-wanted, grinder, driller, oh and my fav- wired the light cups that I welded for Semi trucks. 

I never appreciated all the hard work you did until I saw you at work everyday. I saw how hard you worked all day long, how STRONG you were lifting all those heavy sheets of metal, how patient you were with me, and how smart you were in the office. I learned a lot about you and your willingness to work so hard to provide for the family you loved so much. THANK YOU.

{2} Remember how every night you would come home from work at 5:00 and sit down on the second step of the stair case, take off your steel-toes boots and your coveralls, hang and set them in the garage, look down to the kitchen and tell mom: "Mmmmm smells good" and give her a smile. Then around 5:15 you would come out of your room, showered, dressed (light grey sweats and a T-shirt, or if it was wednesday night, a shirt and tie).....you would sit on the couch that was facing the kitchen, put socks on your baby feet, and watch your wife make dinner. I loved the way you would look at her dad. I could tell you loved her, just how you would look at her. Thank you for that. Then you would walk up behind her, touch her waist and give her a kiss on the cheek and say "Everything looks great dear." We would eat, you would ask us all about our day- none of us would ask you- but you always wanted us to share everything with you. Then you would clean up. I am so grateful that you taught us how to help out those that served us. You always helped clean up when mom spent all that time making something delicious. THANK YOU.

{3} Remember DJ runs? I loved being home with you and mom at night.....Granted, I like hanging out with my friends, but I loved renting old movies from DJ's and watching them with you and mom. Especially when you and I would watch Westerns together. 

{4} Remember when I stole bubblegum from the store, and I told you what I did like two years later and we went back to the store, told the manager, and paid him back price-and-a-half? I was so scared to tell you because I thought you would yell or something.....(yeah right you never yelled, thanks for that by the way) but you didn't...you said "Thanks for telling me Lizzy. How did it make you feel when you stole the gum? How do you feel now that have told me? Let's go to the store and fix this. I am so proud of you for doing what's right." No yelling. Thank you. The manager was so grateful and told me that I would turn out to be quite a person for being honest. THANK YOU.

{5} Remember when mom would go out of town for a few days and you would try so hard to cook and clean? You did a great job. I loved pancakes, eggs, pizza, oh and of course the casserole mom froze for us. I loved how you missed her. How you couldn't wait for her to get home. THANK YOU for needing her and loving her.

{6} Remember when I got married and you told be how much you loved Heath? How you told me that you felt that he was good for me and he was a righteous man who could take care of me. He is and more. Your opinion meant so much to me. You were the perfect example of what a husband and father should be. THANK YOU. 

{7} Remember when you dropped me off at college and cried? I love you so much for that....it got me going too, but made me feel so loved. Thanks for the money you slipped me by the way. THANK YOU. 

Dad, there are so many memories I have of you- so many wonderful days of my life that I will never forget. You have given me so many things; things you bought me, things you taught me, things you showed me....your example will always mean the world to me. I hope that Heath and my relationship can be as strong as you and mom's, that my testimony can be as strong as yours, and that I can love my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as you do be serving others as you have taught and shown me. THANK YOU. I love you so much. Happy Father's Day.