It’s true!

It’s very easy to write nice things about my parents. In fact, the previous post here was about my mom (for Mother’s Day.)

If you’ve been here (on my wee blog) for very long, you know that they are fantastic people. Heck, they even READ my blog AND comment on it! They actually refresh the page eighty times a day to see if I’ve said anything else (about them or otherwise.)

So I figured I’d give my dad something to refresh today, since this is the very day that he turns 63.

Granted, I’ve only known him for 35 of those years, but I’m sure he was fantastic for the 28 before I burst onto the scene.

There are lots of silly stories I could tell you right now about my dad, because he’s very funny and self-deprecating and witty and all those good things. He can make me laugh ridiculously hard without much effort, and I know he’d do the same for you.

There are lots of heroic stories I could tell you right now about my dad, because he’s selfless and hard-working and willing to lend a hand to lots of people. He has a strong sense of calling and justice that drives him to follow through on his strong, strong faith. Regardless of whether or not you agree with what he believes, you’d have a hard time taking exception to how he has lived it out.

There are lots of geeky stories I could tell you right now about my dad, because he’s very technologically aware and a bit of a gadget fanatic overall. He switched to Macs at 62 (after purchasing iPods for both his children and himself in previous years), he has satellite radio in both his vehicles, and is a little too attached to his iPhone.

But the most important thing my dad is (to me) is… well, my dad.

He believes in me.

He challenges me.

He supports me in my goals.

He says kind words to me.

He notices when I struggle.

He notices when I succeed.

He takes an interest in the things I care about.

He makes an effort with the people I care about, especially the one I love most.

He listens, even when what I’m saying isn’t something he likes.

He conveys his love of music, of literature, of beautiful places, of beautiful things.

He shares his own difficult experiences, because he’s been there first and wants to make it easier for me.

He showed me what it looks like to be a loving, faithful, adoring husband to my amazing mom — and what I should wait for in my own life.

It took me 34 years to come across someone else (besides my mom) who really wants as much for me and my life as he does, and when I told him, way back last April, that I thought I’d met that kind of person on the Internet, of all places, his reaction wasn’t, “Ugh, that’s ridiculous — do you KNOW who spends time online?” or “Why?” or “There’s no way that will work!”or “He better not be an asshole.”

Although he may have been tempted.

Nope, his response (over IM) was, “What’s his name? Guess I better add him to my prayer list.”

And with that, one more person got to have a dad like mine.

I know how uncommon this man is.

Every time a friend of mine tells me about difficult experiences with their father, or I read somewhere in the news about a father neglecting or hurting his children, I am reminded how uniquely wonderful our relationship has been.

And I am SO thankful.

So happy Birthday, Daddy.

The. Best. Ever.