Happy Father’s Day From Michele Millar

In celebration of Father's Day on Sunday June 17, we asked Patch readers to write a letter to their father and let us deliver it. This is Michele Millar's letter to her dad:

What do you see when you look at this picture? Probably an old beat-up Holly Hobbie bench, right? Well, I see that too, but I see so much more than just an old beat-up bench. I see the heart of my dad in that bench.

My dad actually made this for me in 1977 when I was just 5 years old. Christmas was rough that year apparently, because this was my present. My parents worked their tails off when we were little and tried to give us everything they possibly could with the resources and money they had at the time. In 1977, well, resources and money were very very tight but love was abundant.

My dad worked very long days and nights in retail pharmacy back then, often leaving at dawn before we woke up for school and returning long after we were put to bed. He worked on all of the major holidays when others were home enjoying their turkey dinners and Christmas music with their families. Despite that, my dad always made time for us and found ways to make each one of us feel special and loved — even when he couldn’t be there with us.

His hands are much older now, with lines and wrinkles showing decades of his hard work for us, but his heart is just as big and loving as it was 45 years ago. These days, me and my dad create “art” together in the form of music: He plays the guitar and together we sing along to our favorite songs. His days of working long hours, missing holiday dinners and driving long commutes are over now, which allows us more time together to do the things we love: play guitar and sing

When I look at this picture, I see a beautiful piece of art crafted by my dad’s loving and skillful hands. I see the letter “M” (for Michele) and the painstaking woodwork details he put into it. No amount of money in the world could make me part with this outward sign of how much he loves me. 40 years have passed and it’s gotten beaten up after years of moving to new houses, sitting in old dusty basements and being used and abused by my daughter. But I was able to refinish and restore it by hand for my dad as a “thank you” to him after all these years.

I hope my dad really truly understands just how much I love him and all that he has sacrificed for us over the years. My early years paved the way for me to become the strong, self-sufficient woman and mother I am today. My dad’s constant love and never-ending support and encouragement not only shaped who I am today but strengthened our bond together. Through fishing trips on his countless boats in Ocean City, Night in Venice parties full of music and friends and eight scoliosis surgeries in five different hospitals, my dad was there for me during every single soccer game, all eight back surgeries, break-ups and heartaches along the way with open loving arms. He has always been my “safe place to fall” when life just gets to be too much.

Like that bench, we’ve weathered many storms together and built a solid foundation on which to “sit” and for that, there are no words to express the magnitude of my love and gratitude for him. What do you see when we’re together? You see a father who would do anything for his daughter (and family) and a daughter who loves her father dearly for all that he is and all that he has allowed her to become. You see a bond that no marriage, no divorce, no lowest of low points could possibly break.

So I’ll ask you again: What do you see now when you look at this picture? Do you still see just an old bench? Or like me, do you see so much more? I love you, Dad.

Love,
Michele

See all Father's Day letters here.

Image Credit: Michele Millar