To My Fathers

The person I am today has been influenced by many people and experiences. And since it's Father's Day, I would like to take a minute to send thoughts of love to my dads. Yup, plural. I didn't always consider that as a plus, yet over the years I've come to appreciate how both men shaped my life, loved and encouraged me, and now cherish my children. 

Though their parenting styles differ as much as their personalities, each have taught me a great deal about things in life. 

My dad is the one I call when I have a question about fixing something - anything, really - as he seems to know it all and have done it all. As his Father's Day card states, "I may not know how to jiggle the chain to make the toilet work, change the oil, etc....but I do know that I can ask you to do it for me." Through the hundreds of miles that separate us, I still call my dad to help me fix things. Sometimes I make strange noises in his ear, other times, I send a picture via texting. And then there are the times I start a sentence and have him diagnose my problem halfway through my thought. It's a kind of comfort to know that he will be there when I call....and that he can fix it!

My step-dad, Mark, is my go-to for technical or hiking/fishing/outdoor questions. He helped me develop basketball skills, opened up the world of hiking, and can speak computer. I have to admit that he was also the one who dealt with my frequent frustration over math problems and editing essays in school....not some of my best moments. Yet he stayed there with me despite it all.

I love that my dads are there to support me. I love that they were gracious enough to both walk me down the aisle at my wedding, one on each arm. I love that I can find bits of them within the man I have been blessed to have as my husband. And that both of them get along well with that man whom I married. 

I love that they are part of my life and the lives of my children. Thank you for that, Dad and Mark!!