My daddy is my favorite pal.

This is my dad.

Childhood:

I jumped from the top of the stairs

into his arms

when he came home from work.

We went to the park,

and he pushed me on the swings, singing,

"Oh wind a blowin' all day long;

oh wind that sings so loud a song!"

We had a game:

how far could I kick off my shoes

when I was at the height of the swing's arc?

He was the meticulous record keeper of my feats. 

High school:

He made my lunch,

brought me trays of fruit to eat

while I spent an hour on my hair in the morning.

He drove me to seminary,

and taught me I couldn't be mean to people

just because I was tired

and it was early.

College:

He helped me file my own taxes.

Every time we spoke on the phone, 

he asked,

"What interesting things are you learning

in your classes?"

...

We sing together in the car.

We quote poems and favorite General Conference talks.

He gave me my love for

doo wop

folk music

& bald men.

He loves trains and rivers,

and he'll eat anything.

He's everything that being a dad should be.