Happy birthday, Dad
with love from Sophieyour daughter
Your superpowers
- Dependable
- Terrible jokes
- Generous
- Grounded
- Fixes anything
- King of the grill
What I love about you
You never once made me feel silly for asking a question, even the fourth time.
The way you still hum while you do the dishes, badly and happily.
You love people by doing things: the tyres checked, the shelf fixed, the 5 a.m. airport run without a word.
Moments I’ll never forget
Elm Street, summer of ’96
You ran behind me the whole length of the street holding the seat. I didn’t know you’d let go until I looked back and you were cheering from halfway down the block.
Saturday grills
Burgers a little too charred, the string lights you put up in 2003 and never took down, and the same three jokes told like they were brand new. Still my favourite meal in the world.
Dawn on the lake
You woke me at half four and didn’t say a word until the sun came up. We caught one fish and let it go. It’s still the most peaceful I’ve ever felt.
A birthday letter
Dear Dad,
Sixty-five. You’ll say it’s just a number and go and check the grill, so let me say this first.
Everything steady in me, I learned from you. How to show up early. How to apologise properly. How to sit quietly next to someone and still let them know you’re there.
When I was small I thought you knew everything. Now I know you just never stopped finding out: reading the manual cover to cover, asking the man at the hardware store, calling me to ask how the new phone works (again). That’s the part of you I hope I got.
Thank you for every lift to the airport, every loan you pretended was a gift, and every time you said “you’ll be fine, kiddo” and somehow made it true.
I love you more than I ever manage to say out loud.
This year, I’m proud of you for
Finally taking the retirement you spent forty years earning, and actually enjoying it.
Walking every single morning since the doctor said so, rain or shine, with the dog judging you.
Growing enough tomatoes to feed the whole street, and giving every last one away.
My birthday gift to you
A birthday gift for Dad
A whole day on the lake, just us. I’ll bait the hooks, bring the thermos, and not say a word until sunrise.
from Sophie
- Any weekend this spring
My wishes for your year ahead
Make a wish, Dad
Tap the candle to blow it out.
- More mornings on the waterAnd one fish worth keeping
- More slow morningsCoffee, crossword, no rush
- A garden that keeps winningTomatoes by the crate
- That trip to NorwayThe fjords have waited long enough
- People who show up for youThe way you always showed up for us
- Your healthiest year yetKnees included
