62 years and counting.

Yes it's true and now out there for the whole world to see - this man, my father, celebrated 62 years of life this past Sunday.  And it is crazy to think that he has surpassed the life of his father by 5 years.  I am so thankful for all of those 62 years and cherish each passing year with him.

We met a woman at church on Sunday and i wast telling her it was my dad's birthday that day - she of course asked how old he was turning and i kindly replied 62.  She exclaimed - oh he's young! and I said yeah he sure is...young at heart.

But truly if someone was to ask me to describe my dad in just a few words or a few sentences that would be the statement that would start it all off - he is very young at heart.   And then that statement would be followed by the usual things like...he is kind, caring, loving, and generous.  And then the unusual...He loves everything Hawaiian, the history, the islands themselves, the music, even Hawaiian shirts.

But something he loves more than his Hawaiian shirts is the act of laughing itself.  This man loves to laugh.  And he finds so much joy in the simple things.  And his zest for life is simply contagious!

And as mentioned before, he loves his ice cream, thus he had quite the selection at his birthday dinner.  But more importantly than teaching me to also love ice cream, he has taught me to love deeply and dream far. See he is the dreamer in the family, my mom the realist.  She may slightly hate that I am calling her that, but they compliment each other well.  And I suppose I get that from him - I am a dreamer.  But sometimes, we get so bogged down in the reality of life that our dreams never reach fruition.  Yet, we never stop dreaming.  

I could go on and on and on about how wonderful my dad is, but I won't.  Rather, I will leave it at this - my dad is simply wonderful and he blesses everyone he encounters with his laughter, his love, his loyalty, and his hugs.  This man gives the best hugs!  And if you know him - you know all of this is so very true!  It is such an honor and such a privilege to not only be his daughter, but also his friend.

And the best part about all this is that he loves me always and forever simply because he has to!  Happy Birthday dad!  I am so thankful for your presence in my life, but more importantly I am so thankful for your friendship!