A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day

Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion.

Vive la difference when it comes to parenting
Photo by Blake Barlow

A little about my dad.

My dad is conservative by nature, a republican through and through. He's a disabled coal miner who spent his life in the same town he was born in. He, up until recently, lived in the same house he built with his own hands when he was young. My dad worked hard every day of his life and sacrificed his time and body to provide. He is an example of hard work and persistence.

Now, by contrast, let me tell you about his daughter. She's a very liberal; an activist and bleeding heart kind of girl who wears her emotions on her sleeve; can't sit still for very long; had more jobs than possible to count and, who just a few years ago, told her dad that she was in love with a woman. If I sat down and thought about it, I would need fingers and toes to count the number of times I have moved, lived in another city, or decided to change careers.

What do you do if you are like my dad and end up with a daughter who is about as opposite as it gets? Well, if you are anything half as amazing as my dad, you just love her. You don't try to change her, you don't try to understand her, you just love her. That's it.

Fathers, you should take a lesson from my dad. This is how you love your children and even though I am quickly approaching mid-30s, I will always be a daddy's girl. I will always need my dad. I always know, no matter what I do, what happens in my life, or where I end up, I am always his little girl. That kind of love, that unconditional kind is hard to find.

So, on your birthday, I wanted to say thank you, dad, for never needing me to be anything other than who I am. You taught me how to work hard, love the outdoors, how to be kind, and how to love. You are exactly the man I want my boys to be.

I love you and so happy I get to tell you Happy Birthday another year. I hope it's the best one yet.