Published: June 20, 2009 10:50 pm      

Daddy's girl

He was my private algebra tutor in school, he taught me when peas were ready to be picked in the summer and he has loved me since I was born... he is my dad.

Today is Father's day and this day means a lot to me because it's only right to celebrate my father the week before my birthday. After all, I wouldn't be here today without him. So many things stand out about my dad but these are a few of my favorites!

Growing up, I remember my dad making me breakfast. Sunday mornings were the best because he would always wake me up before anyone else in the house. For that 30 minutes or so... we would be in the kitchen making pancakes for everyone to eat before heading to church. Now that I don't live at home anymore and rarely have time to fix breakfast for myself, I always look forward to going home during the holidays to enjoy dad making pancakes in the morning!

If I need advice or just need another opinion, I usually ask my dad. He always weighs the pros and cons before coming to a conclusion. Before Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina, I had a job interview on the Coast. They offered me the job and my first thought was to talk to my dad. He told me it was my decision but he said he had a bad feeling about it. And to be honest, I had one as well. A year later, hurricane Ivan hit and the next year hurricane Katrina devastated the Coast. I can't imagine what would have come of my life if I had moved down there.

I still value my dad's advice. Earlier this week, I needed his opinion on something and he stopped what he was doing to spend a few minutes discussing it with me. It's good to know that he still has time for me.

My dad has been working with the same company since I was born. And during the hurricanes, he was out working to be sure everyone got their power back on safely and quickly. The night before Hurricane Katrina came ashore, he left to go into work. I came to my parents house to ride the storm out with my mom. It was nerve racking hearing the wind howling and the trees snapping into the night. Not only was the power out but there was no phone service. As the sun came up the next morning, we awoke to the damage and the silence that was left from the storm. The roads were impassable but in the distance we could hear the sound of a chain saw. A few moments later we saw who was working that chain saw, dad was there checking on us.

A daughter never gets too old to be called a "daddy's girl" and I'm thankful for the caring and loving dad that I have. Thank you dad for everything ... the gifts you've given me have shaped my life and made me the person I am today.

Joy Henson is editor of 393

Magazine. E-mail her at jhenson@393mag.com