If you see someone without a smile, give them mine:

I talk a lot about my Dad, I can't help myself sometimes. He's a person I'm proud to know - never mind have come from.

My Dad is my best friend, my muse, and my teacher. He's not of few words, and always taught me the importance of being able to have a good conversation. He speaks thoughtful words, he speaks intelligent and beautiful words. As a parent, he never coddled me, or told me what I needed to do. Rather, he just supported me and let me do as I pleased, always letting me know that if I fell, he'd be there to catch me. 

There are so many reasons I love him. He's downright hilarious, his under the breath dry comments keep me laughing for days. He is loyal, he keeps me hopeful that one day I'll find someone as devoted to life and love as he is. He's unbelievably motivated, he's never taken the easy road out of anything, even just to prove a point. He is reliable, he calls me daily without fail, I know there'll never be a morning or an evening I'm not wished a happy day or a goodnight. 

My Father has always made sure that I know that there are people who are worse off when I’m experiencing a low. There’s always someone with a bad situation, no matter what I’m going through; he taught me how important it is to not make excuses & to never complain. He taught me to consider all of my blessings, and importantly, he always taught me to remind myself I am loved. 

He is resilient, he is strong, and he is a true example to me of how brave I should always be. I'm not embarrassed to tell anyone about my Dad because he is something else. A next-level human being. 

Every milestone we overcome & every hardship we face only proves to me further how important it is to always be true to the principles you believe in. Neither he or I will get the years back we've missed together, and I know that destroys him as much as it does me. Underneath it all, I find it most important to remember in my hardest moments just how he has faced this situation, and live my life the very same way - head on and fearlessly. 

Someone said to me once they'd love for their children to speak of them how I speak of him, and I never really understood that until now. If you can make your child proud, you can overcome anything.