Happy Father's Day

Ok, I admit it, I was a "Daddy's little girl,"  there is no point in trying to hide it.  I was. I still am.  My dad passed away Jan 2, 2001, and even tho I'm a grandmother to 3 beautiful kids, I'm still a Daddy's little girl in so many ways!
When I was very young, I would wait by the door when it was about time for him to come home. He'd pick me up and give me a  hug, sometimes he would hold me upside down  and tickle my feet making me laugh so hard.
My dad gave me so many things beyond what money could buy.  He gave me strength, I would not have made it through the past 12 years with my health problems without that strength.
My dad gave me the enjoyment of many camping trips that often included fishing & everything that included , just kicking back, short hikes, talks................my love of the outdoors, the mountains, nature.
My dad fixed things around the house, made things,  did things, read the newspaper, read...........
My dad played checkers,  rummy, chess, poker, with me. 
My dad gave me as much freedom as he possibly could to explore what I needed to explore as I grew up.   There were limitations, and I have such a better understanding of why those were there than I certainly did then.
My dad gave me safety in a world that was still recovering from the heartbreaks of WWII - the effects of this war went far beyond the battlefields.  He gave me safety in the midst of the Cold War.  Along with this safety, he also gave me reality, after all, he was a nuclear engineer!
My dad gave me the thought process, to do whatever it is I'm doing, to do it the best I can, to take pride in it.  It took me a long time to realize, this doesn't mean it has to be perfect!  This was accompanied by taking my time to do something, so you don't have to go back and redo it because of rushing through it and messing up!
My dad taught me how to drive.  We did this in vacant parking lots in a Nissan Path Finder.  Now if you don't know what that is, well it's sort of like a Jeep Wrangler, only more of a tank, standard shift, no power steering, no power anything, You knew you were driving this thing. 
My dad told me once ( maybe twice) that he was & would be the best friend I would ever have!  He was.
A best friend always has your back, will tell you when you are totally screwing up, will cheer for you,  forgive your trespasses, listen, give honest feedback, love you................He was always there until the day he died.  I've had other "best friends" who have turned their backs, he never did.
My dad could be a bit critical,  I will never forget the phrase " I know you're not stupid, I don't understand why you can't get this" that he said to me at least several times while  helping me with geometry.  I flunked it not just once, but twice!  He helped me with algebra, and how to skip some steps on paper.  I had to figure out that even tho I got the right answer, I still had to show those silly steps! Silly teachers! I did finally get basic geometry!
   But, the criticism, was really  meant to help us look beyond what we did, in one way he knew how.
My dad gave me absolute unconditional love - no matter how much I screwed up, I always knew he loved me!  I miss him.
There were many  lessons along the way, there still are!

One of my favorite pics of him, I believe this is his senior high school picture.

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there!