Greater love...

OK--so I really ought to be in bed right now. REALLY. But here I am. I just couldn't help but post about my wonderful talk I had tonight with my dear ol' dad. Without going into unnessesay details, there has been a bit of family drama going on in the last week. I have gone through just about every emotion about it, at least once. I spent the weekend up in Idaho with my parents, while Mike went golfing in St. George. I have always loved my dad. I remember as a little girl thinking he was the strongest man alive! I even bragged to my friends that he could pick up a whole car. He has been my best friend when I needed him. He even let me cry to him about dumb boys. He always had a way of explaining things so that I felt better about them. I asked him tonight how he is REALLY feeling about eveything that is going on, and he said he doesn't let it get him down. He said sure it gets to him, but he refuses to let it get him down. Something my dad always instilled in me is that we are responsible for our own choices. Once in 7th grade I was hanging out with some kids that were drinking at lunch time. I had not had any, but when they got caught, I was with them, and thus guilty by association. I was hauled into the principals office, and when the police came they did the whole soberity test and everything. I was not worried about getting in trouble with the school, or the law--because I knew I had done nothing wrong. But as I sat in the office, I could see my dad outside the door, looking so dissappointed. That's what made me sick inside. I had hurt my dad. He even had them take me down to the Police Station with the rest of the kids, even though the policeman said he knew I had not been drinking. He did that so I could take the results from the breathalizer back to school to prove to everyone who would think I had been. My dad's opinion has always meant the world to me, and tonight he told me he not only considers me a daughter, but a friend. I am so proud of that! I am glad I have grown into a person my dad can be proud of. Not dissappointing my dad is something I still think about a lot. I am a grown woman, but my dad is still my dad. He has been my protector through so many things, and I wish there was a way I could protect him now. I know he says he does not need it, and to a point I am sure that is true. But I only wish the world wasn't such a cruel place sometimes. I am grateful to have the faith I do, and to be willing to rise above things that are put out there to weigh me down. I am going to take my own often given advice, and GET OVER IT! For myself, and for my dad. That doesn't mean I will return to the way it was before, but I will not let it consume me.