Because he loves me

I had a friend in middle school. She seemed to have everything. Her dad owned a big company and she had an enormous house. She had the best clothes, the nicest cars, and to a 12 year old, I thought she had everything. Well, for a while there we were pretty close and hung out quite a bit. I remember her being at my house, a nice house, but not huge. We didn't have the nicest cars, in fact, at that point they were pretty crappy cars! We weren't poor by any means and never had to go without anything, but we didn't have what she had. I wondered what she would think about my house and my life.

I learned once that she would have traded me in a heart beat. Her dad, who bought her everything she could possibly want, had never told her he loved her.

Now anyone who knows anything about my family knows that we are quite different. My dad grew up telling us twice a day that he loved us. He still tends to get choked up when we are all together! He is a "softy!" Sure, he can be a grump. Things have to be his way, he NEEDS his sleep and dinner must be met before 7:00, but I wouldn't change a thing about him. We have a relationship that many kids would kill for and I am very lucky to have him!

The reason I am writing about my dad is because this week he has been pretty good to us! He has had a few days off and just can't sit still. He has weeded my flowerbeds. Cleaned up some of the huge mess in the basement, painted a bunch of the trim, and just helped out in any way that he can. We sure appreciate him. The best part about my dad is that he did all this without expecting anything in return. It is just his way of showing that he loves us. (Either that, or he can't stand to look at the weeds anymore!) But I will stick to thinking that he did it cause he loves me! My mom doesn't suck either, but I'll save her for another post!