the one where i talk about my dad.

according to my research, nearly 1/3 of children born are born to single mamas. if it was not for this man, i would be part of that statistic. 

it is kind of a long story, but i was actually born to a single mama. i do not know much about my biological dad,but what i do know is that he and my mom decided together that it would be best for him to be out of the picture. it would be dishonest for me to say that i sometimes wonder why they made that choice, but i think it was definitely the best choice. 

my mom and my dad (the man in the photo) started dating after i was born. which i can imagine was not the easy choice. i mean, falling in love with a woman who has a tiny baby is probably not the most "fun" choice. but my dad did. he not only chose to be with my mom, but he also chose me. and every time i think about that, i cry.  he didnt have to marry my mom. he didnt have to be my dad, but he wanted to. 

He took on great responsibility when he decided to spend the rest of his life with my mom. he already had 2 daughters of his own, but he chose to have a 3rd, me - a little girl who otherwise would not have had a father. because of my dad, and his loving decision i am not a statistic. i had the privilege of growing up with an amazing father. i had the joy of watching him come to Jesus, and then lead our family towards Jesus. my dad is literally one of the most generous, sacrificial people that i know. he will do anything for anyone. he works hard. really hard. like, he gets up at 3am and goes to work all day long, comes home with his lunchbox and then sets out to work on the house, or helping other people. on his days off you can often find him working on projects at his Church, or helping those in need. he rarely thinks of himself, and through all of that i think that he shows Jesus and his sacrificial love to everyone he meets. 

six years ago this week my dad legal adopted me. he was always my dad, for as long as i can remember, but 6 years ago we made it legal on paper. i'll never forget that day. my best friend, and my family all sat in a courtroom where a friendly judge made it legal, that my last name would now legally match the one of my dad. i remember standing right next to my dad when the judge declared, " i now pronounce you father and daughter". i remember how sweetly my dad kissed me on the cheek and hugged me. i remember the day, but i dont often stop to think about it. i dont often think about what he was really saying by taking me to be his daughter. i often take it for granted that i got to grow up with one of the best dads i know.

but this past sunday, i just saw the sacrifice that he made. i saw the reality that i could have grown up very differently if it would not have been for him. i am overwhelmed with thankfulness that he would do this for me. 

as the 6 year anniversary of becoming legal father & daughter is in a few days, i just want to publicly thank my dad for who he is, and who he has been in my life. i know without a doubt that God picked him to be my father and i am so blessed that he did. 

i love you, daddio. 

xoxo