Belated Father's Day Thoughts

Around Mother's Day, I posted this long, serious blog about my views and fears on becoming a mother. And then Father's Day came and went without a post. Probably because being a dad isn't something I have to worry about. Obviously.

But I thought about it, and if there's any one person in my life who deserves some credit, it's my dad.

He had to be a mom and a dad. He had to navigate hair bows, church dresses, slumber parties and my godforsaken hair. He had to do all those things that don't come naturally to dads. He had to do all the things a mom would normally do.

If you look at my childhood pictures, I don't think you could say it was done flawlessly. That's not a slam against my dad. He did what any dad would do. I dressed sort of tom-boyishly. My hair was a disaster, although we really tried everything. I didn't take dance, I played golf.

But the point is he tried.

And all of those things are external. On the inside, the things that really matter about a person, he gave me in huge supply. Character, integrity, strength. I learned those things from my dad.

This is one of my favorite pictures with my dad. I think it perfectly tells the story of a father-daughter relationship. Dads are there to pick you up when you fall. To dust you off, bandage you up and give you the courage to try again.

Even when my dad didn't understand my heartache, he gave me the courage to keep trying when life was cruel.

To think, he did all that for me.

I know my dad loves Ty, but I'm sure there's some emotion that goes into giving your only daughter away to be married. Relief definitely being one! Some of my favorite wedding pictures were taken in the moments my dad walked me down the aisle.

It's so symbolic of the journey we've been on for the past 30 years. Because of my dad, I arrived at this great place in life.

A girl worthy of a husband who loves, cherishes and respects her.

I'm so thankful for a dad who taught me to value myself, work hard and never settle. It was a long, bumpy road to get to that point.

I can't wait to see where our road leads from here. As strange as it sounds, I've learned a few lessons in motherhood simply by watching my dad.