my dad and i always have had a close relationship. when we lived in maryland we had a weekend house in the woods of virginia. every morning as a little girl when we’d spend the weekend there i’d get up very early with my dad, while my baby brothers and mom still slept, and we’d sit on the couch and he’d read to me. those are the times that he and i both remember and still talk about. daddy-daughter time.

i’ve always been my daddy’s little girl, and i know i always will be. even though i’m an adult now, i still cherish the time he and i can spend together. i don’t see him very often now, since i live in georgia, so sometimes he and i will have lunch when i go to chattanooga for my weekly staff meeting. even though we only spend an hour together, it’s nice. and now i think about the day when he will walk me down the aisle at my wedding. his youngest daughter. yet another, special moment i can share with him.

i always wanted to be like my dad. as a child i wanted to be a lawyer just like him. now i hope to marry someone just like him. i think i’ve found that person in joe. joe and his dad have a relationship that i admire as well. they play catch together. they go to the movies and eat cups of jalapeno peppers together. they roast the turkey for thanksgiving together. it’s interesting how different and yet how similar a dad’s relationship with a daughter and a son are.

now, as i look at joe, i see what an amazing father he is going to be. i see the soft look in his eyes as he sees a baby and admires how sweet and innocent it is. i can picture him playing catch with our son, taking him to little league and cheering him on. i can see him teaching our daughter how to drive and, as he said last night, waiting on the front porch with a shotgun for her to return when we let her start dating when she’s, oh, say, 32.

i know people who haven’t been lucky enough to have a great dad. i’m glad i did. i love you dad.