My Father

Happy Father's Day Dad.

My father was the kind of man that was kind,

even when he didn't have to be.

The kind of man that drove away monsters with his own.

When I was a child I learned what it meant to be more than a father.

To be more than just having a son,

my father,

was not my real father,

but he took me and my mother in and made it so I

would never have known the difference.

He was my father.

He is my father,

and even if my last name is spelled differently,

it means the same.

It meant I am his son.

Even if my blood isn't naturally his,

it courses with every ounce of blood,

and sweat,

and tears that he has worked through to make me the man I am today.

It means I am his son.

Proud to be his son.

Proud of everything he has done and everything he is doing.

Proud to say, 

this is my father and nothing in the world could ever replace what he represents.

I love you.

I mean to say it more often than I do,

to let you know that without you there would never have been a me.

That I am so grateful,

that I am so grateful.

You didn't have to be my father,

and now I couldn't bare to think of who I might have become without you.

Without you constantly pushing me.

Believing in me.

Teaching me integrity comes before all other things,

to walk humbly,

and never forget where you came from.

Protected me,

and looked for me when I was lost.

I don't think I'll ever see you give up.

I don't think it is in you to quit,

and I am thankful for that the most.

Father,

I love you so much,

and I will never get tired of our conversations.

The internet is a horrid place,

Facebook is destructive,

tell me that joke again,

make fun of me one more time.

Please tell me about every time I screw up 

because I know there will come a day when I wont be able to hear it 

and I know I'm not ready.

Dad, I love you.

I mean it more than I know how to say.

If it wasn't for you,

if not for you,

I wouldn't be me.

I would be afraid to screw up.

I would be afraid to make the mistakes,

you told me were OK to make.

As long as you learn from them.

I'm afraid I'm still learning.

I'm not quite where I want to be,

I'm still a little lost,

I'm still a little worried,

and I'm still an easy target for when you want to pick on someone.

More importantly,

I'm still your son.

It's why I'm never afraid.

I love you, Dad.