The best dad I ever had.

I have a couple of stories I want to share, these stories are about a man that I love with all my heart. A man who, through examples both good and bad have given me a template of the kind of person I want to be and also the kind of man I want to marry. This person is my dad. The first story takes place a few winters ago when we had a huge blizzard come in and the snowplow broke down, my dad got in our snowblower and blew out the roads in case there were any emergencies, all 5 miles of deep packed snow in a swather. I remember being deeply impressed with how concerned he was for our neighbors and how disappointed I was when no one tried to help him or even offer their thanks. The next story happened last Tuesday when we were in Abilene, Kansas. We were fueling up when a guy came over and asked us for cash, he said that he has forgot his wallet and really needed the gas. I had no cash and half jokingly offered him a slice of the pizza I had just bought instead. My dad turned and gave him some money, and the guy told us about how he was trying to hurry to Colorado to be with his girlfriend as her mom was going through another surgery for her advanced breast cancer. We wished him well and with help from a few other people he was on his way again. When my grandpa found out that dad had given him money, he was really mad. He told my dad that it was foolish to help someone bumming for money. I was so proud of my dad when he simply responded that helping those in need is something that we should jump at the opportunity for. The last story happened Saturday. I work at a hotel, and we had some guests that drove up from Utah to go horn hunting (Looking for the shed antlers of elk) and they had just found out that only a few days earlier the season had been postponed a few weeks. They were all really upset that they had driven all the way up to go horn hunting and would once again return home empty handed, so I told them they could go on our ranch. Dad showed them where to go, and when they came back with a few, he dragged out the ones we had in our basement and helped them find the mate to one they had found and sold the rest to them for $60 instead of the near $1500 that it should have been. When I asked him why he did that he said that they would get more enjoyment out of them that we would and it was worth it to see a handful of antlers make people, even complete strangers, happy. My dad isn't the best person on the planet, and sometimes he drives me totally crazy, but I feel pretty blessed to have a dad that has taught me the value of hard work and compassion for those around me. My mom is a pretty lucky lady to have a guy who tries to do the best for his family, who loves God and his fellow man, who listens to peoples concerns and who makes people laugh. Sure he is a little impatient, and can be a grumbly, obstinate, grouch...but he is also one of the very best men I have ever met. I hope that one day I can be as lucky as my mom is and find someone at least as great as my dad is.