My Dad

When I was in high school, I got to fish the Crazy Woman Canyon in the Big Horn Mountains with my dad. It was several hours of just me and him, fishing and talking (mostly me talking because those of you who know my dad, know that he is quiet and doesn't say much). I remember feeling like it was a "right of passage", because my older sister had gotten to do it with him a few years earlier, and I couldn't wait until I got to go too. He was so patient with me, untangling my fishing line countless times from tree limbs, logs and rocks, waiting for me to rest and catch up, and teaching me to find the best quiet spots in the creek to fish. To my dad it may have just been a few hours of fishing, for me it meant the world.

My dad has always been the gentlest, most patient man I know. He hardly ever yelled, and he always took the time to explain things to us when any other parent would just say "because, that's why". My sister and I would fight after baths to see who would get dad to comb out our long tangled hair, because he would take his time and be so careful in combing it out. He could spend hours helping us with our math homework, explaining it several different times in order for us to get it and keeping us from getting too frustrated. I remember taking a field trip in grade school to one of his rigs, and he had to explain to my class all about the workings of an oil rig. I don't remember anything he said that day, only how proud I was that he was my dad. I still am.

I am so lucky to have such a wonderful Dad. He has always been my hero, and the standard to which I hold my husband--which hasn't always been fair to my poor husband. He has always put his family first and worked hard to provide for us. He taught us to work hard as well for what we want, and to appreciate what we have. He is honest and genuine, and anyone who has ever met him likes and respects him. Happy Father's Day Daddy, I love you.