For my dad

Still daddy's girl... just a bit older now.

It was a little hard to find some old pictures.  In particular, I was thinking of this one of my dad and I running in a race (I think I was about 6 or 7?).  We ran together most mornings throughout my childhood.  I didn't always appreciate it at the time; I had several mornings I didn't feel like getting out there to run.  But I sure appreciate it now - that foundation of discipline, of hanging in there when I felt like giving up, of working hard  and just the time with my dad.  When I finally found the picture in one of my scrapbooks, close to it was a quote about discipline.  And while it may not be the very most important thing in success in life (aside from faith), I think discipline is one of my core qualities that I learned from my dad.  He taught me to always do my best, and if I was going to do something, don't do it halfway.  That's carried over in more areas of my life than athletics and education. That discipline now helps me endure the trials of motherhood.

And it's funny (and maybe Mike will agree), I still want to get up and run in the morning.  It just seems like the right way to start the day...  ("...train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" ?)

Thanks Dad for teaching me how to work hard and endure to the end!  (And I'm blaming you though for my bad knee that's holding me back.  Somehow, I think that's your fault...don't you have a bum knee too?)   :)   But I'm pretty persistent/stubborn, so I'll figure out how to keep running.

Happy Father's Day!