“No tears,” he said. “No promises,” I replied.

My Wedding Day

There we stood in the back of church. My bridemaids were all filing up, arm-in-arm with my fiance’s groomsmen. I held hands with my dad… a hand that had helped me through so much in my life.

Things I don’t remember — learning to walk, learning to talk.

Things I remember vividly — high school, college, my first job, a broken heart.

Things that have no real description — lessons, emotions, failures, successes. And there we were, about to embark on the next chapter of my life.

“No tears,” he said, giving me a hug.

“No promises,” I said with a little laugh.

There are tears of joy. There are tears of sadness. There are simply tears that result from overwhelming love and this mixture of emotions that have no words.

THAT’S how I feel when I think about my dad. Overwhelming love, respect, thankfulness, and joy. There is no Hallmark card that can ever convey that. They come close, but never quite get there.

My family celebrated Father’s Day a couple weeks ago, when I was down in Texas. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to still acknowledge my dad ON Father’s Day. I’m a Daddy’s girl… any chance to celebrate him, I take!

I went to church tonight, and at the end of mass they had all the fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers stand up. I have to confess, I got a tear in my eye.

A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society. – Rev. Billy Graham

Dad and my niece in 2004.

We rarely hear, “Hi Dad!” on TV. Rarely does a speech start with, “I want to thank my Dad.” They’re that silent strength in so many people’s lives. A thankless job, but one that is so priceless… one that deserves its own day to stop and go, “Thanks, Dad!”

My dad has lead by example. With strength. With kindness. With love. He instilled in me a strong value system. He showed me how to be independent and a leader. He taught me right from wrong.

He has always believed in me, telling me I could do whatever I set my mind to do. Always doing what he could do to pave the way for me to do anything. (He is still doing that to this day!)

He is one of my biggest fans and greatest assets in life. I don’t know that I say thank you enough. I don’t know that I tell him how important he is to me. But I do know that I wouldn’t be the woman I am today if I hadn’t had the incredible father that I have.

I get a huge smile any time my mom laughs at something I do or say and goes, “You are definitely your daddy’s daughter.” Or occasionally my husband will even go, “Oh you picked that up from your dad!” And I usually laaaaaaugh. Yup. Daddy’s Girl indeed.

Wish I could be with my dad on Father’s Day, but I am definitely there in my heart. And I know I’ll get talk to him on the phone for awhile at some point during the day.

If you can’t be with your dad, pick up the phone and call him. If he’s passed away, take a moment to reflect on him. Talk to him in your heart. Or if you have someone who was/is in your life as a father figure (because, lets be honest, not all fathers are Dad’s), take a moment to thank them for being there. Dad is such a thankless but important job. THANK YOU to all the Dad’s out there… hope you have a wonderful day!

12 thoughts on ““No tears,” he said. “No promises,” I replied.”

    1. Thank you so much! I had no idea how I was going to approach this, so I wrote from the heart… always the best policy. :)

  1. Thank you for sharing these special thoughts, memories and wishes on this Father’s Day. I am very blessed to have been given a daughter so special as you. Reading this post and seeing the picture of the two of us on your very special day again has touched me deeply. I am so very proud of you and love you sooooo much. You will always be my “little girl”!

    1. I LOVE YOU!!! Thank you so much… for this and everything else under the sun. YES — always your little girl… and so happy about that fact!! Happy Father’s Day!!

  2. Oh my. This was so awesome. I agree with your dad, so very proud of you and love you so much. You have such a beautiful gift for words and you truly mean everyone of them. We will be thinking of you as well on Father’s Day. And like your plaque reads at dad’s desk. “An Aggie Gal never forget her first truly love, He Dad!” Amen.

  3. Awww!, I’m a Daddy’s Girl, too. My dad and I apparently walk & talk & think alike. :) Plus, after being around your parents so much, I totally see you when I see your Dad. It amuses me greatly whenever he does something and it reminds me of you, then I do a silent giggle as I realize YOU got it from HIM!

    1. LOL! I love that!!! And I love how my parents have become your second parents, and I still think of your parents as MY second parents. So thankful for that!

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