Growl Like a Bear

Eating a piece of candy, I walked through my kitchen and stopped to look at a picture on my magnet board. Something caught my attention, so I peeked my head around to the corner where another picture hangs. Yep. I knew it.
The picture on that wall is of me and Tyler and my smile is contagiously blissful. That smile matched the one in the picture on my magnet board. It's a picture with someone else-

my Dad.

For as long as I can remember, he's always been my #1 man. We'd be talking about my latest crush, or boyfriend and he'd be sure to ask, "Who's your number one man?" I'd smile, "You!"

And, now that I'm married, he and Tyler will probably have to come to grips that they have to share that trophy.

Seeing as I'm going to be a teacher, I'm very grateful that my Dad helped me to appreciate good grammar.

"Dad, you'll never believe it, today me and my friend went-" I hyperly began in one breath.

"You and who?" My dad replied.
(Sighs) "My friend and I."

I secretly loved that he did that, because I wanted to be a teacher and I knew I had to be good at grammar. Many people don't know this next lesson Mr. Dad taught me. I was having trouble pronouncing the "R" sound, so he sat me down privately to help me.

"Alright, Millie, growl like a bear. Say, 'Gurrrr'!" My dad said with a smile.

"Gwwwww!!!!!" was my attempt.

I finally pronounced the "R" sound a little after I turned 8 years old.

He was also my biggest fan in everything I did- especially the piano. He was the only person in my family who never asked me to play quieter. I could pound out Mozart, Bach, Jon Schmidt, or my own creation, and he would smile telling me how wonderful it sounded. He has no idea how much that support helped me to keep pushing through the harder songs. He seemed to simply understand how much I sometimes needed to play loudly because piano was (and is) a form of therapy for me. And I know he didn't want me to ever stop playing.

Anyway. I think you get the idea here. I'm a Daddy's Girl through and through.

I'm so grateful he taught me to love, laugh, think, express, hope, care, live.

And I'm especially glad he taught me how to properly growl like a bear.