Superhero's don't wear capes, they have Taz tattoo's...

There is this man.  He is not your typical 50's something man.  Most weekend mornings you can find him in bed with a cup of coffee, pastry of some sort and Looney Tunes on the tv.  And for as long as I can remember he has been the most amazing man on the face of this planet.  That man is my Dad.

Growing up with my Dad was interesting.  My earliest memories of my Dad are of him coming home from work in his flannel shirts with candy in his pockets.  Not sure how many times that actually happened but I am pretty sure it was frequent enough for me to remember.  I think we were the only kids who's Dad woke THEM up for Saturday morning cartoons!  Then there was bedtime.  This is where I learned to love to read.  I remember bedtime as a time for stories.  And let me tell you, any man who loves cartoons as much as my Dad is quite the storyteller.  Even as an adult I have searched the Internet to find several of the books he used to read to me.  My favorite, of course, being Dr. Suess' A Wocket in My Pocket.  And then there was laughter.  Constant laughter.  He is always smiling.  It is quite contagious.  Even in the rough times there was laughter.  I remember being in middle school away at church camp.  Because of a "situation", that I don't feel like getting into on here, my Dad had reason to fear for my safety.  Instead of driving up to the camp (which I am pretty sure he made it up there in record time) and taking me home, he stayed in a counselors cabin and watched from afar.  He stayed far enough away so that I could enjoy the camp but close enough to protect me if I needed it.  And after that, even at a young age, I knew that he was always there for me, even if I couldn't see him, he was there.  There is an amazing amount of comfort in knowing that no matter what you do, you always have someone who will catch you if you need it. 

I remember the day I got my drivers license.  What an awesome day as a teenager!  We got home and he handed me the keys to my new car and said, "Bye".  I remember feeling shocked almost not knowing what to do.  I thought for sure I would be on some probation of some sorts but no, he was confident in my abilities and sent me on my way.  As a parent, I am sure he was slightly afraid at me driving alone, but he let me go.  As I got older I remember talking to him and him saying, "I have to let you make your own mistakes so that you will learn from them".  Back then it didn't make sense.  But now it does.  When I look back over my teenage years I can see my mistakes.  I can seriously laugh at the choices I made and wonder how I thought they were right.  But the hidden beauty in it is that I did learn from my mistakes.  And every mistake I made or bad thing that happened I can hear my Dad reminding me that I am not a victim.  That I can choose to live as a victim or I can simply learn from it an move on.  That I need to refuse to feel sorry for myself and just keep going.

My story has been put in several newspapers over the last week or so.  I have received several calls, emails or comments from people who call me brave.  They have commented that they cannot believe how I kept my humor and optimism during such a trying time.  But when I look back over my life I know exactly how.  I am my Daddy's daughter. 

Dad,
If you read this, know this.  There have been times in the last year or two where I have felt completely helpless.  I have felt like the world was crashing down on me and that I couldn't keep going.  But in each of those moments I heard your voice.  Reminding me that I am not a victim.  That I need to find the strength to keep going.  I heard your laughter and optimism encouraging me to keep going.  That is where I found my strength.  You are my inspiration and my hero.  Thank you for raising me to be the woman I am today.  I may joke that being raised by you, gave Jenn, Nick and I no chance at being normal, but I wouldn't want it any other way.  I love you from the bottom of my heart to the top of my oversized brain!!!

So you see, real Superhero's do not wear capes, they have Tazmanian Devil and Yosemite Sam tattoo's!!!