I wrote a longer post on my personal page today, but wanted to share a little bit here, too.
Today is Kate’s Daddy’s birthday. He has given me the greatest gifts life has to offer. A life where laughter is daily, a beautiful home I long to come home to even when it’s hard and unconditional love when my actions make it nearly impossible to love me. He gave me the gift of my most precious girl. Our girl. He taught me through every day actions what it was to be a truly good and present parent.
His little girl would have woken him up today by sneaking down the hallway, not-so-quietly shushing me to surprise him. She would crawl in bed with him and jump on him. She would have asked to make his coffee and would have painted him a rainbow. She would have asked to help bake his cake, snuggled in his lap and asked for “backwards hugs” and would have told him Happy Birthday a hundred times.
In honor of his birthday today, I ask you (for those with kids) to honor MIke’s best parenting advice. “Do it one more time.” When you’re tired fo the repetitive games, throwing them in the air ’til your arms hurt, sick of the same book or DVD…just do it one more time. You’ll never be sorry you did.
Kate LOVED birthdays…and not just hers. It won’t be the same today. But this man? He deserves to be celebrated. Mike, I love you. I always have. I always will. Know that your precious Kate did, too. Happy birthday.