Dear Dad,

Yesterday was Father's Day. I called in the morning to tell you that I love you, I'm thinking of you, and to hope you have a great day. But that one phone call couldn't possibly convey how much you mean to me.


You have made me the person that I am today - an intelligent, confident, competent mom fully capable of taking care of a child with a chronic illness.


From you I learned strength. I grew up confident in the knowledge that you could carry the world on your shoulders. When things would crumble around you, you would be the one to pick them up. I'm now that person in my family, facing diabetes head on and leading the charge to keep my daughter healthy.


From you I learned courage. I would often wake in the middle of the night with horrible nightmares and you would talk to me about them, asking me to describe in detail the monster that was chasing me. You showed me that if I face my fears I would realize they're not as scary as I once thought.


From you I learned wisdom. You're the smartest person I know, and you taught me to value education. "Knowledge is power," you'd say and I cling to that. Sometimes it's a challenge, and I know I'll never learn all there is to know about diabetes. But I learn from my mistakes and am able to move forward, armed with new information and new insight.


From you I learned confidence. You always told me I could do anything I wanted in this life. "If you want to be a ditch digger, be a ditch digger. Just be the best ditch digger you can be." My role now is the mother of a diabetic, and I know no one can take better care of her than me.


From you I learned love. I never questioned your love and devotion to your family, and to me your youngest child. You were a loving example of what a husband's role is, and because of you I picked a great one. "Take care of your family," you tell me. You did. I do.


I learned from Mom compassion, empathy, forgiveness and caring, and how to nurture hearth and home. But you showed me it's okay to be a strong, take-charge person.


I love you more than words can say. I hope as you get older, you see the legacy you're leaving behind. You need only to see how well Grace is thriving to know you did a great job raising your family.


You're the best Dad I could've ever had.