When I reflect and thank God for the great opportunities that have been given, I am always especially thankful for my dad. Growing up, I watched my dad work incredibly hard to build his practice. He never let it interfere with being the greatest dad to ever exist.
I have held on to this newspaper clipping for over 5 years now and always tack it somewhere that I can see it wherever I am living. He is the most passionate, intelligent, and kindhearted person I know (sorry, future husband). From an early age, he encouraged me to never follow the status quo (I mean, look at that beard).
He also taught me be to be fearless by trusting God to get me through all seasons of life. This also applied to the countless camping trips I went on for many years that required me to learn how to adapt to any environment – for example, sleeping comfortably by myself in a tent on a cliff on a desolated island in Canada at age 11.
My dad inspires me to embrace life and do the things that I love and to try anything that interests me. He loves to read and is constantly teaching himself more about something. One of the things I look forward to the most when I come home for Christmas is posting up by the fireplace with a good book and the company of my dad – Who always pauses to share anything interesting or inspiring that he comes across in whatever he is reading.
He embraces technology – I had never even heard of a Kindle when he brought one home and he is always asking me questions and for my opinion on new technology that he is considering purchasing.
He’s a talented woodworker and built me a livable clubhouse when I was 6.
He’s an experienced sailor and charters his own sailboats – I got to tag along to Alaska and the Caribbean.
He’s a skilled musician and I often woke up on the weekends to him playing one of his saxophones or clarinets.
He’s an incredible cook and always helped me impress people with dishes I made with his help.
He’s a big biker and used to tell me exciting bedtime stories of the times when he was younger where he would take apart his bike, ship it overseas, and fly over to Europe to bike down the beautiful coastlines you’ll find there.
His most recent passion – Gardening. When I come home he gives me a tour of his massive garden, having me sample different vegetables, and showing me the real farm to table method. He even hosts heavily attended plant nutrition cooking classes for his patients and community. No joke, my dad can turn any bland or mushy vegetable into something as tasty as a potato chip.
Bottom line: My dad is freaking amazing. He has always pushed me to figure things out on my own while giving me wise guidance along the way. It has helped shape so many of the parts of me that allow me to succeed and continue moving forward in this life.
crypto lauren 