Ok Dad, we both know this is going to make you cry, so go ahead and grab some tissues before you continue...
Got 'em?
Dad/Chuckie/Chuckles,
I have spent years trying to piece together a letter to you, but when it comes down to it, I just want to pick up a ball and our gloves and head outside. It was a staple of my childhood.
Actually, you are the staple of my childhood. From countless field trips to Thursday lunches (that chili and cinnamon roll was ridiculously good, right??). Hours on the couch watching the Mariners, and several more freezing our toes off in Pullman (Go Cougs!).
I love my mom, but I don't think it would surprise anyone to hear that I'm a Daddy's Girl. I can hang with the best of 'em talking baseball and dropping random stats (even erroneous ones like "70% of lead off walks score").
You've shown me how to work hard for what I want. You helped raise me to think for myself and focus on the present. You also taught me important life lessons, such as, how to properly place a needle on a vinyl record. And, a skill that certainly came in handy during college: how to shotgun a beer.
You taught me how to play ball. Not just the mechanics, but what the game really means. How to plan ahead for situations that might come up, and how to manage under pressure.
I remember the first time I was able to throw diagonally across the lawn. It arced...and I received a lesson on the shortest distance from A to B was a straight line. I think there were diagrams in the grass. But that's what I love about you. I speak logic, too. And I appreciate the lessons that I probably complained about in my youth. They're always here with me, and I have to smile when I catch myself passing them on to my students.
So, Dad, here we are on your 65th birthday. You once told me you wished you had drank more beer with your dad while he was still around. I don't think we will ever have that regret. Bottoms up, Chuck. (Haha, get it? Up Chuck?)
Love you always,
Your daughter
