December 24, 2012
Daddy,
There
are so many things about you that I love. I really am not sure where to begin.
From the moment I was born 21 years ago you have loved me unconditionally. You
have been a prayer warrior, a best friend, a dad, a backyard baseball coach, a
listener, a great example, and one of my hero’s.
When
I sat down and compiled this idea of sending you 100 letters, I knew it wasn’t
going to be easy, then they started pouring in, and it made me realize just how
much you are loved, not only by me, but by so many people! I’m going to be
really honest; I was getting letters until about 9 tonight. I was a little bit
nervous but since I sat down and sent out all the emails I’ve been praying
every night I would make it to 100! And lo and behold, the Lord heard my
prayer, and here we are!
When I sat down to write this, I realized it was much harder than I
thought it was going to be. How do you voice everything you need to, to a guy
in one letter? So since I’m 21, I decided to go with 21 years of memories, 21
years of thankfulness. So I decided to come up with 21 things I love about you,
and that remind me of you.
1.
You are a
strong Christian man, you are such a leader, and an amazing example of what a
Godly husband and father looks like. I hope and pray that the Lord gives me
someone just like you one day to marry.
2.
You love mom
so beautifully. I know I bug you and say that you fight a lot, but deep down I
know that you love her unconditionally. You are a leader and you provide just
as the Lord has called you to as a husband.
3.
You are such
an amazing dad. You love Jordyn, Seth and me through the thick and thin, and it
is so apparent. I love that even though we may disappoint you, your love for us
remains the same, and you just continue to be a great dad.
4.
I love you for
praying with me and tucking me in every night before bed until I reached high
school basically. I will forever have our prayer memorized. “Dear Heavenly
Father, I thank you for this beautiful day you have given us, God bless Mommy,
Daddy, Jordyn, Seth & Shelby, help Shelby to be a good girl and wake up
tomorrow feeling rested and refreshed and ready to serve You!” You know the
routine.
5.
You are so
humble dad; it is an amazing and genuine quality. So many people love this
about you, but especially us kids, I think we strive to be more humble because
of you.
6.
You are so
smart. I mean lets be real for a minute, you are a DOCTOR. It doesn’t get much
smarter.
7. I love that
when I, or anyone else is struggling, you have a solution, you always want to
make me feel better, and are willing to give advice and awesome pep talks.
8.
I love that
I’m your only “Brown Eyed Girl.” This song is forever engraved in my head as
one of my first memories of us, and I forgive you for lying to me all those
years saying that you wrote it for me.
9.
I love that
you love to serve; you are always willing to lend a hand to others, even if it
means that you need to sacrifice.
10.
You are so compassionate. You have one
of the biggest hearts ever, the Lord has really blessed you in this area dad,
and it shows in a big way. Thank you for caring so much about others, it is a
beautiful example.
11.
You instilled
in me a love, and yes, I mean LOVE for James Taylor, one of the most amazing
musicians in the history of the world. I think James is the reason I love music
so much, and the reason I love to sing and write. I often wish that somewhere
down bloodlines we would be secretly related to him. Whether it’s us dancing to
“Copperline” or listening to “Carolina in my mind” on the way to Sunset beach,
his music is timeless, and you introduced me to it.
12.
I love that
you love the things I say that may not be so correct. For instance, the hole in
one described as a “chick” or embarrassing you by telling my kindergarten
teacher about the glasses getting cleaned with the underwear. You just shake it
off, act like it’s all good, and go on to tell the stories 100’s of time, while
being proud of me for being funny.
13.
I am so thankful that the Lord called
you to CVCA, and you have stayed there all these years. Dad, honestly, CVCA is
my other family. That school which was built upon Godly standards, and the
people inside, helped shape me from the moment I was born and everyone there
was praying for me. I do not know what life would be like if I hadn’t had the
opportunity to go there. The people there have so elegantly represented what a
Christian community looks like, and I had the incredible opportunity to
literally grow up there. Thank you for serving the Lord at CVCA.
14.
I am so
thankful for the way you raised Jordyn and Seth. They are my best friends; my
heroes and I look up to them like I do no one else. All of this you already
know. Jordyn has taught me to stand up for myself, that I am beautiful no
matter what, and when life pushes you down, you have to pick yourself back up,
or find people to help you up, and keep moving. Seth has taught me that I
should always follow my dreams, fight for what I believe in, and that I should
always be myself, and that good Christian guys who treat girls like princesses
do exist, and that I should never settle for anything less. These are all
qualities that I am sure you and mom, long ago instilled in the two of them,
and now I am being impacted. Sissy and Roo turned out pretty good I would say,
and so thank you for raising them the way you did.
15.
I love that
you read your Bible everyday, and pray as you walk each morning. Dad, there are
a lot of “Christian” people in this world, but that does not mean that they
live out what they say they believe, but you do just that. If you tell someone
you will be praying for them, you do. I love that many days I walk into the
music room to find your Bible open and many notes out along with it, it is such
an encouragement to know you are staying rooted in the Word!
16.
I love that
you never hold back any emotion. You cry when you pray, or speak about
something that touches your heart. You yell when you are angry. You get that
little wrinkle in your forehead when you are really upset, and that is when I
know I made a big mistake. You cry when you are happy, and when news is good.
You rejoice with others when great things happen, so much to the point where it
almost seems not genuine, because you are so happy. I love that you have never
been ashamed of these emotions. Grandpa Taylor is the same way, and I believe
this is one quality that you definitely got from him, and I love it!
17.
I love how
honest you are. I can always count on you to tell it like it is dad, whether
it’s a question about what I’m wearing, or what I should do in a friend
situation, or how something I bake tastes. You are honest if the answer is
going to be something I like, or something I don’t like. You are honest with
everyone this way, people at work, family members, and many more, and it is a
pure genuine quality that I believe a lot of people love about you.
18.
I love that
you are funny, and that you think you are funny when you aren’t. I love that
you belly laugh at things, and I love that you laugh at yourself. I love that look
you give me when I say something I think is funny, and turns out I shouldn’t
have said it, and then you laugh anyways. You are full of humor dad, its great.
19.
You are so strong! You have had so much
strength over the past 21 years dad, our family has had to face unimaginable
trials and you have held us all together every step of the way. I don’t know
how hard it must be as a father to see so much turmoil in our lives, and I know
it is never easy on you when I am sick, or dealing with medical issues, but you
still keep strength and faith! Thank you for being such a rock during all of
sissy’s struggles too, those years were so hard on all of us, but because you
were so strong, it helped me to stay strong!
20.
I love that
you aren’t really a “mr fix it” when it comes to being handy around the house,
and building things. But you are a “mr fix it” when it comes to being handy
with ideas, helping people, and building a school that serves the Lord! So like
that coffee mug I got you says “My dad can fix anything.”
21.
I love you
very much, I think you are special and I am very proud of you!
Merry Christmas Dad, I
love you to the moon and back!
Blessed by a Heavenly
Daddy,
Shelby Elyse
