Happy birthday to my hero

Let me tell you about someone that I've known all my life and who is very important to me. This man is my hero and this is the man who worked really long hard hours to make sure that my family was taken care of. He is the man personally responsible for the roof over my head, the clothes on my back and the food that I ate. He went above and beyond those basic needs though, like making sure we always had a car, and toys, and a good education even if I didn't always appreciate having school.

As a little girl, I remember waking up early sometimes and crawling up the stairs to see my hero before he left for work. I liked to wear his black combat boots, even though I could barely walk in them because they were so huge on my 5 year-old feet. Most of the mornings, I would find him kneeling by the side of the couch, his Bible open beside him, praying. 

This man taught me a lot of cool things in life. Things like how to shoot a gun, how to ride a bike, how to pull a loose tooth, how to be funny, how to do math (even though I still don't get it). He taught me how to learn and to love adventure. He taught me how to drive. He taught me how to work hard and to be good at whatever I do.

But I think that one of the most important things he taught me was how to sacrifice myself for those that I love. 

Almost three years ago, this man took a huge risk to his body and his life to save my life. I was dying and I needed a new kidney to be able to live again. My hero, my Dad, gave me his. And three years later I'm no longer dying but living in better health than I have in my entire life. 

It was my dad's birthday yesterday. I'm late getting this typed up but I am a firm believer in the saying "better late than never!" and it's never to late to tell someone what they mean to you. 

Happy Birthday Daddy! Thanks for being my hero. I love you so much and I can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks :-)

Always yours,

Lefty