..I guess I've had it since I heard the music start. As we fly home from Louisiana Pat Green's song Threadbare Gypsy Soul popped into my mind. I can't think of a more fitting song for me. I remember being 19, about to graduate from cosmetology school and making a decision to move to Austin. Most of my family thought I was crazy, except for my daddy who encouraged me to go. I took hand me down furniture, got an apartment on my own and never looked back. I remember both my sisters moved me in & when they left me for my first night alone I cried my eyes out. I loved and lived in Austin for almost 10 years. I now know in my heart of hearts why I left home; I needed to figure out my own reality. The one I knew as a kid started to crack. My parents were separated. It scared me and made me angry.

I met my better half I now call my husband in Austin when I would say I was most broken. He healed me. We got married and when discussions of moving West started arising I said yes without hesitation. I remember discussing this with my dad before we told anyone. We sat in the garage and I told him. He told me to go. He had spent the first part of his life traveling the country and then during his time in the service he was stationed in various places, too. My dad understands me. Sometimes I'm sure my family doesn't get my free spirit or the fact that I would move away. My dad does. Everyone in my immediate family lives within a few miles of each other. I am SURE I am my fathers daughter. I carry his spirit within me.


Thank you daddy for teaching me how to be ME and be proud of me. Thank you for being there when nobody else was and for ALWAYS having my back (and giving me a swift kick in the ass when I needed it). Thank you for teaching me how to be crazy silly and for making my wildest dreams come true. Thank you for sacrificing everything you could to make sure I had everything I aways needed. Thanks for giving me a love of the water and a passion for life. Thank you for teaching me how to be a fighter. Thank you for becoming soft like Pop.





And, this dad, is only part of your legacy. Happy Father's Day from your very grateful daughter.