A Father’s Day Post.

With today being Father’s Day and everything, I felt it was pretty prudent to take a stab at a post celebrating the men who brought us into the world, the men who raised us up from tiny little sprogling to the sometimes-adults we are today, hammering away at our keyboards and trying to make a place for ourselves in this great big world. I have my own father (his name is Frank) to thank for an awful lot. It’s through him that my creativity and imagination was kindled through books and films, through him that my taste for adventure and my dedication to hard work was developed. Growing up, my father was everything in my eyes. He ran a farm, he ran a family, he was a giant capable of anything. As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to understand that, while still a giant, my father is mortal, a human being like myself, with as many fallacies and imperfections as myself, but with a lot more wisdom and experience. He’s always encouraged me to discover new things, while never backing down when the new things I wanted to discover were definitely over on the side of stupid. We don’t agree on everything, but the very core of all the things I enjoy are rooted deeply in his influence, his strength, and his commitment to being a great father.

Commander William Riker. Will always remind me of my dad. My roommate claims that he reminds everyone of our generation that watched Star Trek of their own father, but, my dad even had the beard, okay?

Even now, while I’m in a stage of my life where I seek to discover myself on my own, he gives me the space I need to grow, keeping his own worries and fears in check. Though I strive for my own independence and the ability to take care of myself, I know that I can always fall back on his support if I’m in need of it, and that gives me the courage and the inspiration to keep striving forward and accomplished what awaits me in life.

If it weren’t for my father, I would definitely not be the person I am today. He has shaped me in so many ways, right now to the fact that I write and what I write about. He is an incredible man, well-read, well-traveled, and well-loved. Thanks, Dad, for everything you’ve given me. Happy Father’s Day.