An Everyday Hero At 50 Years

My dad is one of my favourite people I know. My respect for him grows as I get older, and the things I love about him change with each stage of my life.

He is more fun than any other grown man I know. As a child I knew he loved me because of how time he spent with me. Family was always his priority, and even when work took him away from us, we always knew that it was us that he worked. I have so many fond memories of playing with my dad. We used to spend a lot of time at different play grounds when our family was young, and he would always be up on the climbers with us. It was always sad for everyone (including him) when mom had to be the one to say "it's time to go". A game arose from this, called Daddy Bum Slap (which I now realise the complete ridiculousness of). The game is essentially a game of tag which when slapped you were out and had to start making your way to the van. I am grateful for how much fun my dad is. 

As a teenager I caused a lot of contention in my home, and especially with my Mom. I used to think that her and I had nothing in common, and that's why we would butt heads all the time. I now know that that is not the case, but at the time I thought I knew everything. At these times of chaos and contention, I always respected my dad for his calm demeanor. He always stepped in when I got out of control, and often had to come to the defense of my poor mother. I respected him for that.
Now that Eric and I are expecting a baby, I am so excited to watch my dad become a grandpa. My baby is so so lucky. I never really got the chance to get to know either of my grandpas very well; they both passed away when I was fairly young.
My dad is the perfect combination or wisdom and humor, of; the perfect example of knowing what's most important and not taking the rest of it too seriously.
I love him very much, and I want him to know how great I think he is; how strong and courageous he is.