Daughters
“You have given me so many reasons to be proud of who you've become. The proudest moment for me is telling others that you're my daughter. You shine like the brightest star, and I hope you believe in yourself as much as I believe in you.”
“I do not say it often enough, so I am writing it down where you can keep it. You are kind, you are brave, and you are funnier than I will ever be.”
“I do not know where you got all that patience, because it was not from me. Your students are lucky, and so is your old dad, who still needs help with his phone.”
“As you say 'I do' today, know that my heart walks with you and holds you even when my arms cannot. I hope you believe in yourself as much as I believe in you. May your marriage be filled with endless love, laughter, and beautiful memories.”
“There will be days that test you and days that feel too heavy to face on your own. Remember how far you have come, how deeply you are loved, and how many believe in you.”
“Everyone will ask what you are doing next, and you do not have to know yet. You have already shown me you can do hard things and do them well.”
“For all the prayers I ever prayed, you are truly the answer. Have faith that you will never lose. You either win or learn. Aim for the skies. I hope you believe in yourself as much as I believe in you.”
“I know I ask too many questions about the car and the tires and the route. It is not that I think you cannot manage. It is the only way I know how to say it.”
“You take care of so many people that I sometimes wonder who takes care of you. So please eat a real meal, get some sleep, and let someone spoil you a little.”
“Believe deep in your heart that you can achieve anything your heart desires. Take pride in how far you've come and have faith in how far you can go. But don't forget to enjoy the journey.”
“Somewhere along the way, you started giving me better advice than I gave you. I do not know when it happened, but I am so proud that it did.”
“When you close your eyes and make a wish over the candles, know that your old dad is wishing the very same thing, only harder.”
“The house is a lot quieter now, and I have stopped pretending I do not notice. But every time you tell me about your new place, I can hear how happy you are.”
“I am better at fixing things than I have ever been at saying any of this out loud. So I have mostly shown you instead, and hoped that you were counting it.”
“When you were little, your birthday list was longer than the fridge door. I could never get you everything on it, but I hope you always knew you had my heart.”
“I always trusted you to choose someone who would treat you kindly. Watching the two of you together, I know you chose exactly right.”
“Nothing about this was handed to you. You earned it the long way. That is the kind of success that stays with you for the rest of your life.”
“I watched you study through late nights and early shifts to become a nurse. You never once talked about quitting, even when I would have understood.”
“You laugh exactly like your mother did when she was young, which you know. What you do not know is that it stops me wherever I am standing, every time.”
“Everyone will say you look beautiful today, and they will be right. But what I love most is that you look so completely like yourself.”
“You made it to winter break, and I know how hard you worked to get here. No lesson plans, no grading and no alarm clock for two whole weeks.”
“You make a lot of hard things look easy, and I know they are not. I see how much work and heart goes into every one of them.”
“I ran behind that bicycle holding the seat for most of one long summer. You did not notice the day I let go, and that was entirely the point.”
“There will be days when you do not know how to fix something. You will figure it out, the way you always have, and I will be a phone call away.”