80 Reasons I Love My Dad

80 Reasons I Love My Dad

1. Dad took us on family vacations every year.
2. He bought us kids a ?67 Mustang. Yes, it was a stick shift. Yes, it was red. And, yes it was a convertible!
3. He isn?t afraid to talk politics and religion.
4. He reads books. Every day.
5. He loves my Mom like no man has ever loved his wife and his love is true.
6. He took me to the Grand Canyon.
7. He came home from work for lunch every day when I was young and let me fall asleep with my head on his chest.
8. He is a good person.
9. Not only did he take me to NYC, we stayed in the Waldorf.
10. He leads and lives by example. He once found $1600 under a mattress (at the Waldorf) and he turned it into the police. When they didn?t find the owner, he donated it to shelter for runaway kids.




11. He is powerful.
12. He served our country in the Korean War.
13. He wasn?t afraid to hold my hand when I was a young boy.
14. I believed my Dad could beat up your Dad, even though I never witnessed my Dad get into a fight.
15. We picked up a hitchhiker once.
16. My dad has lifelong friends?.people he?s known since he was a child and he still keeps in touch regularly.
17. Dad blessed me with siblings; one older brother and three great sisters.
18. He has always put his family?s needs before his own.
19. I believe my father is the walking definition of what it means to be a good person.
20. Every night as a child my Dad would tuck me in saying, ?Good night. See you in the morning. I love you.?
21. My Dad gives the best hugs.
22. He enjoys the small things in life, like getting an ice cream cone.
23. My Dad was a successful businessman.
24. Did I mention my Dad loves my Mom deeply?
25. Dad introduced me to the Outer Banks in North Carolina when I could only crawl and then bought us a family beach house there.
26. My Dad has been there for me when I?ve needed advice.
27. He doesn?t complain even when I know he?s not feeling his best.
28. He values family.
29. He and my Mom named their first dog ?Martini.? That?s cool.
30. My Dad is a snappy dresser.
31. He thanks me when I call him on the telephone even though I?m the one who should be thanking him.
32. He and my Mom took me to Disney World when I was a child.
33. He and my Mom took his grandchildren, including my kid, to Disney World and the Disney Cruise (hey, the grandkids always have it better).
34. My father is honest.
35. Dad taught me good manners, but doesn?t correct me when I break them.
36. He taught me how to tie a tie.
37. My father taught me the value of a dollar.
38. He is a terrible handyman but that never stopped him from trying to fix things.
39. I went to Ireland with him and stayed a week on the Dingle Peninsula.
40. He used to take me on sales calls when I was a kid. I?d get to run inside to clients and pick up their weekly ads.
41. My Dad was the president of the Missouri Press Association.
42. He is a calm person.
43. My Dad has the best smile. All my life I?ve known his big smile.
44. He gave me a happy childhood.
45. He took us to work on Saturdays where my cousins and siblings would meet for rubber band fights.
46. He finally bough himself a Miata after a decades-long string of owning brown station wagons for the family.
47. As a kid, my dad let me pour beer on the BBQ coals?and then take a sip.
48. He always has had pets. The dogs I?ve known include BlackJack, Tux, Spanky, Riley and CoaCoa.
49. He provided for us. I was never worried about our situation.
50. My father is kind.
51. I?ve never heard my Dad say that he hates someone.
52. My dad respects women
53. He encouraged my sisters to excel in life the same way he encouraged his sons.
54. He taught us kids confidence by allowing us to participate in family decisions.
55. I know my Dad loves me.
56. He is thoughtful. He still opens doors for women.
57. Being in journalism, my dad taught me healthy doubt.




58. He is an optimist.
59. He is proud of his country.
60. My dad took us kids to a Cardinals World Series, gave his seat to once of us, and listened to the game outside the stadium so we could witness a winner.
61. He also took me to Game7 of the 1982 World Series. I was sitting by his side when the Cardinals won.
62. My dad says ?Please? and ?Thank You.?
63. He didn?t get mad when I gave him a black coffee mug that said ?Over the Hill? for his 65h birthday.
64. He came to my little league baseball games. Sure, he was listening to the Cardinals game in our station wagon parked on the hill at East End ball diamond, but I knew he was there.
65. My father believes in education.
66. He paid my university tuition.
67. My dad didn?t get mad when someone asked who taught me to play golf and I replied, ?My mom.?
68. My dad has always been there for me. And he always will be.
69. He loves trains and has a massive collection.
70. Dad hired me as a paper boy at 10, as a mailroom boy at 13, and I sold my first newspaper ad at 14.
71. Dad has my back. I once sold a ? page ad to a man who, unbeknownst to me, owed the newspaper money. My Dad instructed me to go back and collect the money at which time the man ripped up the ad I had created in front of my face and threw it in the trash can. While I was proud at my calm reaction, I felt even better at my Dad?s. He told me that man would never again be advertising in his newspaper.
72. He garnered the respect of his colleagues and peers because he didn?t need to command that respect.
73. He was an influential member of the several boards, including the Columbia Missourian.
74. He believes in Freedom of Speech.
75. My dad couldn?t really teach me how to be a good fisherman or good hunter. But he did teach me how to be a good person.
76. Dad listens to me.
77. He is faithful.
78. He has a generous heart.
79. In the dictionary, under the listing ?good? it says: Thomas Leary Miller, Sr.
80. He has loved me for all my 48 years so far. And I love him, too.