My Daddy Tribute: D is for Daddy

Any man can become a father. But it takes a special man to become a daddy. My father was one of those special ones.

It took my parents a few years to get me. But finally I arrived. A Daddy's Girl was born. I have so many pictures of the two of us playing together. I have heard many stories of him taking care of me. I lived to spend time with my dad.

• He taught me how to plant flowers in the garden, which was one of his passions.
• He let me ride in the truck to go on some of his furniture deliveries. Both of us kids would tag along, but only my sister was truly of any assistance on those excursions.
• He taught me cursive when I was five years old, because I wanted to write like big people.
• He made up games for me to play with him.
• He let me sit on his hip while he was sprawled on his side on the floor watching TV. 
• He accompanied me on trips to France and Switzerland and helped me connect with our family history.
• He taught me how to drive his big boat of a car.
• He taught me to love art.
• He would compliment my art techniques, even if he despised the painting and would always be honest about it.
• He taunted me with his classic rock collection on vinyl and stories of meeting Jefferson Airplane and Miles Davis.
• He let me listen to my music in the car.
• He helped me purchase my favorite music and allowed me to host those big NKOTB pay-per-view parties.
• He helped me heal from numerous broken hearts.
• He bought me books to read.
• He found Montessori school for me when I was 3, to enrich my education and to embrace my gifts.
• He let me learn tough life lessons for myself, but never allowed me to do something truly stupid.
• He was proud of every little accomplishment.
• He taught me how to laugh and to find the humor in life.
• He helped feed my Peanuts obsession.
• He would tell me I looked pretty and he was always sincere.
• He took us on drives through the countryside, teaching us to enjoy the simple pleasures in life.
• He let me call him at all hours of the night, to talk about any subject.
• He let me gush over my latest obsessions and would take the time to learn more about them.
• He would mimic my interests and let them become his own. And he would teach me about his, so that I could make his my own.
• He always reassured me that everything would be okay, no matter how rough the road became.
• He refused to lie to me.
• He embraced the nuances and quirks that make me who I am.
• He loved me unconditionally.
• He still takes care of me, even from beyond the grave.

Last year, for this A to Z challenge, I posted a tribute to my father on my new Alzheimer's blog. I remember when I went home a couple of weeks later, I found it printed out next to his computer. I was honored that he was so touched by it. Looking back, it was almost like a premonition that he would soon be gone. You can read it here.