Dear Dad,
Since Father's Day, I've been thinking about all the things I would like to say to acknowledge the day.  It's been hard to put it into words, I just feel so lucky to have you and mom as my parents - every day, not just on that one day of the year.  Looking back at my childhood as an adult and also as a mother, I just feel really lucky.  Whenever I'm not sure how to handle a situation, I can look back at my own childhood for an example and I'm realizing now just what a gift that is.  Not everyone can do that, look back to see what should be done, what worked well, what makes a child feel good and grow up knowing that the future has possibilities.

You've taught me a lot of lessons, many of which have turned into great stories that provide inspiration for other parents.  I find myself telling stories about you all the time, in my small circle you're becoming as legendary as Paul Bunyon.  From you, I've learned:

The ability to analyze a situation and discern the truth.  When I was little and you told us that you'd shot the Easter Bunny while hunting, I knew that while you had the skills, you were just kidding.  It was only a joke, just a way to see how much we'd actually believe.

The ability to bounce back from bad situations.  Or that time we walked down to see Santa at the Legion and passed the church on the way and you told us that the hearse parked out front was for Santa because he was dead?  Sure, we cried all the way home, and yeah, we didn't get to see Santa, and okay so you didn't tell us it was a joke until mom made you, but I get it now.  It's funny!  We bounced back.  Plus, Santa wasn't really dead so that was good.

Humility.  And when I was in junior high, living on the only block in town that had handsome high school-aged boys living in almost every house, and you decided to take advantage of their available and cheap labor to have them dig a new outhouse hole at the cabin - I get it!  Really, what could possibly be more humbling for a young woman than to have all the cute guys in high school dig her family a poop hole.  It was a LESSON.

How to mentally remove myself from difficult situations and imagine I'm somewhere else.  You might not remember this one, but there was a time when we were at a restaurant and two handsome older boys walked past our table.  You stopped them, grabbed one by the arm, pulled him close to you and sternly asked him if he was looking at your daughter.  When he and his brother stammered and said that no, sir, they had not, you let go of his arm and laughed, patting him on the back good naturedly.  I think that was the first time that I was able to mentally take myself to another place, to temporarily remove myself from the situation while remaining physically in place.  That's a great skill, a talent that has helped me in motherhood.  Sometimes when the screaming gets really loud, I can almost shut the whole thing out and keep going about my business.  It's a fantastic thing to have learned at a young age.

First impressions are important. That time when I brought a guy home for the first time and introduced him to you and instead of accepting his outstretched hand, you dove for his legs and tackled him, pinning him to the ground, then left him laying there in the yard saying "You've gotta be quicker than that to date my daughter, son" as you walked away?  That made quite an impression.  And sure, he never came back, but that was probably for the best, don't you think? 

So dad, for all of these things and the many other lessons you've taught me, thank you.  You've made me a better person, prepared me to be a good mother, and given me lots of material.

Love,
Jennie