Fathers and Daughters

I just finished reading Danielle's Fathers Day message to Ed, her step dad.  What is it with fathers and daughters?  I remember the things that Dad would do to me when I was a whole bunch younger.  Things like folding his belt in half and telling me to 'put your finger in the bear trap' and then snapping the belt closed on my hand.  Things like 'pull my finger'.  Things like pretending to hork up a big lugie and pretending to spit it in my ear when he woke me up in the morning (GROSS!).  Or other things like letting me ride his saddle and tacking my horse for me so I could ride his saddle.  Of course it was way too big for me, but I rode it anyway.  It taught me to have a better seat and be a better rider, believe it or not.  We had  horse called Whiskey that 'hunted bear', meaning that the stump we were riding by (and had passed on numerous occasions) was a horse-eating-tooth-and-claw-wielding bear.  Of course she'd jump straight in the air and land 10 feet from where she'd started and dump me right where she had launched herself.  After walking home the first time, guess what?  She never dumped me again.  I'm not sure how many summers Dad tacked my horse for me, but I'm pretty sure it was 2.  The summer I turned 13, Dad told me that I couldn't ride his saddle unless I put it on the horse myself.  Well that saddle weighs 50-60 pounds (believe me, I still have it) so at 13 it was no easy task.  I think it took me all summer to be able to throw it up there and when I finally did it, I was elated. 
Dad threw that challenge out there for me and I've never forgotten it.  He also challenged me to be the best that I can be.  He taught me to try to excel at everything I've put my hand or head to.  He taught me to read not just fiction (though my guilty pleasure is a novel that helps me escape the everyday world) but also books that help you improve. 
Right now, I'm savoring a book called 'Davinci Decoded' by Johnathan(?) Gelb.  Not only was the man a genius as an artist and inventor, but he was a very well-rounded spiritual man as well.
Another one was 'Shut Up, Stop Whining, And Get A Life' by Larry Wingett.  When I read that one, parts of it (ok, most of it) made me laugh out loud because what this guy is saying is exactly how I was raised! 

So thank you Dad, for making me who I am today.  I'm still a work in progress and far from perfect, but I have a hell of a good foundation under me.