[ WP ] Write the letter that you always wanted to , but never did .

Dear Dad, 
 
 I'm pretty sure you think Mom is my hero. She stayed at home with us until high school, attended all the sports practices, school performances, made all the lunches... and of course I love her, for all that and more, but I'd like to tell you that you have always been my hero. 
 
 Some might say that it's just because of supply and demand; you were in short supply growing up, so the demand was high. But that just would n't cover it. There is a connection of spirit between us that I just do n't have with Mom. 
 
 Sometimes when we play cards we start to get a little competitive, and by that I mean that you become a horrendous asshole with a horseshoe so far up your ass you must taste steel! The curse words start flying as the stakes get higher but the twinkle in your eye matches the one in mine. Meanwhile, Mom is in the other room hollering at us to `` play nice,'' never seeing that the anger is all in good fun. 
 
 But I guess it really comes down to that day. You know the one. We waited for the ambulance for 45 minutes, and that whole time you did your best to breathe life back into my brother, your son. How you managed to keep it together that long, I will never know. You even drove us all to the hospital behind the ambulance. It seemed like an inhuman feat to me. Superman himself could not have kept it between the lines on that drive. 
 
 It's been a decade, and do you know what amazes me most? That twinkle in your eye that matches mine has never disappeared. You never let your grief drown out your joy. You face each day still open to all of what life has to offer. Grief is still a constant visitor, but you set the example of how to invite it in with open arms, to acknowledge that it is part of our lives without it being a menace that must be locked out. By opening the doors easily you help to let in all the other emotions so that life is still whole. 
 
 I do n't know what I would do without you. You set the example of how to live life and face its challenges with courage and humanity. 
 
 Thank-you.
