{"id":330,"date":"2013-06-16T03:30:24","date_gmt":"2013-06-16T03:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ramblingrunnergirl.com\/?p=330"},"modified":"2013-07-18T19:28:10","modified_gmt":"2013-07-18T19:28:10","slug":"fathers-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.ramblingrunnergirl.com\/?p=330","title":{"rendered":"Father’s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

This blog is typically a forum for me to share my athletic adventures (feats of strength, anyone?), so this post might be somewhat unconventional.\u00a0 But it\u2019s my blog so I can do whatever I want!<\/p>\n

On this eve of Father\u2019s Day 2013, I am missing my dad, just as I have every Father\u2019s Day for the past 11 years.\u00a0 Therefore, I\u2019m going to use this opportunity to pay tribute to the man who loved me, raised me, gave root to my passion for running and then showed me my wings and taught me to fly.<\/p>\n

When I graduated from High School, my dad gave me a journal.\u00a0 In the first few pages, he shared his memories of watching me grow up.\u00a0 Memories of things he had watched me do and things we had done together.\u00a0 He told me over and over how proud he was of me and my ability to work hard despite my circumstances.\u00a0 He wrote\u2026\u201dI\u2019m proud when I hear that you are recognized for your smile and the spirit it brings others.\u00a0 Your high school days have been a reflection of life.\u00a0 There have been really good times and some not so good times but through it all you have continued to smile.\u201d<\/p>\n

Life continues to have it\u2019s challenges, but just like my dad said, through it all I keep on smiling.<\/p>\n

My dad\u2019s journal entry concluded with him writing\u2026\u201dYou have a gift with words and poetry that I have never had.\u00a0 I\u2019m proud of you.\u00a0 Success is ahead of you.\u00a0 Love, Dad\u201d<\/p>\n

Some things don’t go the way we plan,\u00a0and some things never change. When I got married in July of 2000, I was so blessed to have my dad by my side walking me down the aisle.\u00a0 The night before, at the rehersal dinner, I read a poem I had written for him.\u00a0 There was not a dry eye in the room.\u00a0 I read it again at his funeral on December 5, 2001.\u00a0 Again, there was not a dry eye in the room.\u00a0 As I sit here alone, typing these words, I assure you, there is once more not a dry eye in the room.<\/p>\n

So, in honor of this Father\u2019s Day, I\u2019m going to share a slightly modified version of the poem that I wrote for my dad and had the privilege of reading to him almost 13 years ago.\u00a0 Here it is\u2026<\/p>\n

Father of the Bride<\/strong><\/p>\n

You’ve been my hero, my shining knight
\nYou taught me pride and wrong from right.<\/p>\n

You walked me to North Hi-Mount when I was just passed your knees.
\nYou dropped off your “Pup” at Chuck E. Cheese.<\/p>\n

On a little blue bike, you taught me to ride slow,
\nEven though I yelled, “Daddy, don’t let go!”<\/p>\n

We ran 5k races side by side,
\nYou always let me win in the very last stride.<\/p>\n

Breakfasts at 7, MANY wake-up calls,
\nCredit cards, phone bills, trips to the mall.<\/p>\n

Whether driving a pick-up or a little black ‘Vette,
\nChecking the oil I will never forget!<\/p>\n

Broken hearts, softball tears,
\nCross country races, football cheers.<\/p>\n

Rowing smiles, choir voices,
\nSome good grades, some bad choices.<\/p>\n

Referee and chauffeur you have been,
\nMy teacher, my coach, my father, my friend.<\/p>\n

You saw it all, you wiped the tears,
\nYou mended my heart, you calmed my fears.<\/p>\n

You taught me tradition and what family means,
\nYou gave me faith in myself because you always believed.<\/p>\n

I hope I’m the daughter you thought I would be,
\nI’m everything that I am because you loved me.<\/p>\n

So as you give me away, with your love and a kiss,
\nIf nothing else, please remember this…<\/p>\n

Where ever I go in this great big world,
\nI will always be my dad’s girl!<\/p>\n

This Father’s Day, if you are a father, I honor you.\u00a0 If you are spending the day with your father, I envy you.\u00a0 Make the most of every moment you\u2019re given!<\/p>\n

And to my dad: Dad,\u00a0You were right.\u00a0 High School was a reflection of life\u2026some good times and some not so good times. But you taught me how to get through it, how to lean on my family, and how to keep smiling no matter what! I have been so blessed to be your girl. If I can prove to be even a fraction of the person that you were on this earth, then I know I am on the right track.\u00a0 Thank you for loving me through it all, Dad.\u00a0 I love you and miss you every day.\u00a0 Til we meet again\u2026Love, Lindsey<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The first man I ever loved<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This blog is typically a forum for me to share my athletic adventures (feats of strength, anyone?), so this post might be somewhat unconventional.\u00a0 But it\u2019s my blog so I can do whatever I want! On this eve of Father\u2019s Day 2013, I am missing my dad, just as I have every Father\u2019s Day for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-aside","hentry","category-bringthetears","category-randomthoughts","post_format-post-format-aside"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4eO4v-5k","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ramblingrunnergirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ramblingrunnergirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ramblingrunnergirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ramblingrunnergirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ramblingrunnergirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=330"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.ramblingrunnergirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":391,"href":"http:\/\/www.ramblingrunnergirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330\/revisions\/391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ramblingrunnergirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ramblingrunnergirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ramblingrunnergirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}