Happy birthday Dad! Even after all these years, one of my fondest memories with you is storytime. I still remember how you used to read me books when I was younger. I’m certain you developed my love for reading, and you never hesitated to bring us to the library or purchase books for us to read from Scholastic book orders at school. Thanks Dad!
I know you’ll probably never see this post or read my books unless I start writing them in Chinese, but I wanted to share with everyone all that you mean to me with this open letter of thanks on your birthday:
Dad, I know you’ve never been really big on celebrations because you always tell me that we should see every day as a day to celebrate. I remember how you would always get us a birthday cake on our birthdays; so when we were older, the 3 of us would wait for you to come home after work (no matter how late) and surprise you with a birthday cake too. The very first time we did it, you fussed so much about how we were wasting our money. But, I think deep down you appreciated it.
You taught me the value of little things, family time, and to appreciate supportive people. What mattered most to all of us growing up wasn’t where we were going or what we were doing, but the fact that we were doing it together.
Now, all grown up, I sometimes wish I could be a child again, so I can enjoy storytime with you. I hope you know how lucky I feel to have you as my Dad. Wishing you many more birthdays and hopefully a storytime one day with you for my own book (when I figure out how to translate them to Chinese).