A Poem to My Dad

There was nothing my dad liked better than being surrounded by family and friends so for his 85th birthday I threw him a big bash. He loved it. He was in his glory.
My dad was a joyous soul. He was fun and funny, kind and loving. He rarely got mad and when he did it was over quickly. He didn't hold grudges. He hated the word "hate," never used it and admonished us when we did. But he hadn't met my first brother-in-law yet. Whew...that was one person he hated. Rightfully so...he treated my sister like shit.
I digress...anyway, it was a fabulous party and here's a poem I wrote for him for the occasion:

When I was just a little girl my daddy seemed so tall.
I looked up to him in every way.
He was the best of all.
When I grew to seven or eight he shrunk somewhat in size
But still I looked up to my dad -
He was a hero in my eyes.

Then a dreadful thing occurred: I became a teen!
I realized dad was just a man
and didn't know everything.
In fact, I thought, "he's not so smart and he's not even tall!
Why he can't tell me what to do
because I know it all!"

There were some years, oh just a few, that gave my dad some fits.
And I know dad remembers this
and thought it was the pits.
But then I grew to be adult and I know it seems absurd
But dad became a wiser man.
Some magic had occurred.

I saw how good and kind he was and then it made me sad
that I had been so miserable
and treated him so bad.
He helped me out as best he could and gave me his advice
And if I didn't follow it,
it did make me think twice.

I thank you, Dad, for guiding me and being who you are.
You set a great example
You're my bright and shining star.
The thing I see now that I'm grown is my dad is really tall.
I look up to him in every way
Cuz he's the best of all.

Happy 85th birthday Daddy!
December 15, 1994