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Here is what I want to say about my father...he made it all possible. He worked so hard to bring us up. If you could see my childhood like a movie, you would see how happy it was. I have no complaints. We played outside, we camped in the woods, we had computers to explore and play on. My dad taught me about the Internet before most people knew what it was. I remember one day we laughed and said, "Maybe someday even toothpaste companies will have websites." It was such a funny joke at the time, even though we knew it would be true. I remember every time my dad and I laughed together and I remember every wise thing he taught me.

But more than that, I realize that everything else that was good happened because he gave up his life for us. He worked tirelessly. He was like the commercials in between a really good movie that say, "This film was brought \to you your commercial sponsors." My dad was the commercial sponsor of my life. He supported my mom while she played with me, read to me, taught me my ABCs, homeschooled me, shared movies with me. He gave us everything. There's nothing more that I could ask for. Thanks, Daddy. I love you.

Our culture today has all but killed fatherhood. I don't know how exactly this happened. But now that it has happened, we are trying to take it one step further. We are now trying to justify the murder. We are saying that fathers are unnecessary, that kids can be raised by a single mom or by an institution. Of course such a thing is possible, and I admire the moms that have to do this. But to deny fatherhood is even to deny the burden that a single mom carries. It's almost impossibly hard.  She's supposed to have help, support, extra strength. Dads are so important. I hope we realise that by undermining the importance of fatherhood, we have taken away the power-in-weakness that is motherhood, too.

Just as important, I would like to say a few words about my husband.

My husband is an overcomer. He is the finest father I could ask for. He loves his children, plays ball with them, watches movies with them. The odds were against him, and he stuck with it, anyway. I am so proud to sit beside him as his wife. You can't underestimate how awesome it is to watch him hold his newest baby against his chest and talk to him, or to see him kicking a soccer ball around with Elijah. He is so good to the kids. I am so grateful that my children have a father who truly loves them. Thank you, Chief. You are the best, and I love you.