I'm four years old, it's midnight and my heart is
beating with so much excitement it's hard to pretend I'm asleep. It's been six
months since I've seen him and I've missed him tremendously every day since he
left. But tonight he's coming home, and I'm the happiest girl in the world.
I force my ears to listen to the calm night air
with such intensity it's hard to focus. And there is it. The distant roar of an
engine. Not just any vehicle but a vibrant yellow and jet black 1972 Chevy
Blazer. I’ve memorized the hum of the engine and could identify it from
thousands of trucks if given the chance.
I run to my bedroom window and stare out into the
night air with monstrous anticipation. The hum paces closer and I finally see
the headlights illuminating the darkness of alleyway. I listen intently until I
hear the truck door slam and footsteps dissipate into the night air. He's
finally home.
Before he can put his key into the door, I whip it
open and greet him with the most colossal, warm hug a four year old can muster.
This man is my dad. He's my best friend. My hero. My role model.
Twenty-one years later the story hasn't changed
much. He's the one I called at 3AM when I went through my first broken heart.
He's the one who comes over when the weather decides to grace our town with a
foot of snow to ensure I can get to work in the morning. He's the one who has
fixed my car countless times in the in pouring rain and suffocating humidity. He’s
the one who helped me move all of my belongings to Kansas when I thought that’s
where I wanted to attend college, and then helped me move it all back to
Wisconsin a day later. He's the one who put a camera in my hand and encouraged
me to pursue my passion.
I owe a lot of the qualities of the person I am
today to my dad. He's taught me to persevere; to exert myself with force and to
give it hell when I feel like I'm nearing the end of my line. He's shown me
through his own actions that hard work never leaves a person empty handed.
Regardless of age my dad will always be my hero. He
will always be the man I look to with the upmost respect and gratitude. I
only hope to one day be able to do everything in my power to return all of the
selfless acts he does for me and those he cares about.
Happy 65th Birthday, Dad.
Love,
Sadie
My dad and I after I graduated college.
