I love this picture of my Dad. It reminds me of the depth of his love, and how genuine he is in. My relationship with my Dad has mostly been complicated, like most people’s. But amidst the “complicated”, I’ve missed the richness that was moving like a strong steady wave beneath the surface.

You guys, relationships are complicated and they are messy. They require painful sacrifice and endless amounts of grace and have no room for judgement. None. If we are always holding people to our standard, we may be asking something of them that they may never be capable of (or shouldn’t be a part of) and will FOREVER MISS OUT on them. We’ll miss sharing jokes over dinner or we’ll have no “remember when’s” because we never have adventures to remember. It’s a lonely and bitter place to sit in, and I’ve been guilty of it more than I want to say.

(Now, I do not mean that this is a healthy step for ALL relationships. It is certainly important to set boundaries, in ANY relationship, let alone ones that tend to be a bit wonky.)

But if we release the expectations, and seek them with humility and grace, we can set aside the pain/disappointment that we keep setting ourselves up for, and we can celebrate the person they are to us.

My dad is a great visionary. He laughs like a hyena that’s choking on its dinner, and you can’t help but laugh with him. My Father is one of the most creative genius’s I know that is capable of nearly anything that he puts his mind to. He gets the biggest kick out of flatulence or anything inappropriate, and really treasures having free time to just PLAY. He builds tree houses and sleeps in them with his kids, dresses up as Spider-Man and takes family pictures in the costume. He takes his daughters on dates so they know what to look for and value in a man, stores up knowledge that he loves loves loves to share, and prays earnestly for his family. One of his favorite things is to cook breakfast for his family, and it’s always amazing. My Dad plays the banjo, and is a third degree black belt. Which means he’s a badass.

He serves us well, and we respect and love him for it.

I can’t wait for people to meet my Dad. I think he is one of the smartest, most interesting, hilarious people that I know, and I couldn’t be more proud. He is so incredibly special to me, and I am rich because of his love.

Thank you Dad, for being my Dad.

Love, Louigie