Oh Daddy!

I'm not sure if anyone could define or explain the bond that exists between a girl and her father. There are times when we want to scream at him because he wouldn't let us go out on Saturday night, and other times we want to run to his arms crying because of a bad day. 

Most of the time I don't feel like yelling at my dad. In fact, I don't think I have told my dad often enough how much I love him and how thankful I am for him and what he does for me. Even now, as I type this out, I have misty eyes thinking about my dad and how much I love him. 


Before I met Earl, before I had only dreams of getting married, I told my dad that I wanted to dance with him at my wedding reception. He's not much of a dancer, blames it on bad hips I believe. I often joked with him that if he didn't dance with me, I would never speak to him again. Well, he danced with me and probably about 10 seconds into the song I started crying! That was what I had wanted my whole life. To dance with my dad. It was a great moment. I don't even remember what song was playing when we danced, it doesn't matter. 

There is a song that I do remember, however, and I think it is one of the better explanations of the bond between father and daughter. I don't know who wrote the lyrics, but the song rings true.

I remember Daddy´s hands, folded silently in prayer.
And reaching out to hold me, when I had a nightmare.
You could read quite a story, in the callouses and lines.
Years of work and worry had left their mark behind.

I remember Daddy´s hands, how they held my Mama tight,
And patted my back, for something done right.
There are things that I´ve forgotten, that I loved about the man,
But I´ll always remember the love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love in Daddy´s hands.

I remember Daddy´s hands, working 'til they bled.
Sacrificed unselfishly, just to keep us all fed.
If I could do things over, I´d live my life again.
And never take for granted the love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love...
In Daddy´s hands.


This post was inspired by what my dad posted on Facebook earlier as his status update. It made me realize how special fathers are. It made me realize that my dad isn't going to be around for my whole life, which makes me sad, but I know that we will be a family again after this life. I want so badly for my daughters to have a loving and strong relationship with their father. 

There are still times now, as a married woman, when I want to run to my father and exclaim, "Oh Daddy!" when I've had a rough day. Sometimes it's just because I love him so much and want to hug him. There's nothing like a hug from your daddy regardless of how old you may be. 



Wow I write a lot! Is this a little too much? Do I need to work on keeping things short? Oh who cares! I like to ramble! Hopefully one day this will be like a journal. Don't want it to be too short and have holes in the story!


So I guess the point of me writing this was to make sure that all who read this will make sure to tell their fathers that they love him. Even if he isn't around, work to build that relationship. It's one of the strongest bonds I've ever seen or felt. And totally rewarding. So tonight, even though my dad is about 3 miles away, I just want to run up to him and say, "Oh Daddy!" and be embraced.



Perhaps I should have prefaced this by saying you need a box of tissues before proceeding? Oops!