the weekend before last, my dad and i finally had the opportunity to take three day adventure to las vegas to celebrate my twenty-first birthday together. (i really stink at this whole posting right away thing. whoops, folks.
while going to vegas was, of course, exciting in itself, especially because i'd never been before, i was truly just happy to have the quality one-on-one time with my dad.
so, i'm going to stray a bit away from the original topic here, i suppose:
growing up, i was truly a bona fide daddy's girl, and my dad was my superhero- at least in my eyes he was, like i'm sure most daddy's are to their little girls. the only thing missing in this facade i had romanticized, was his red cape draped across his shoulders and the letter "s" sewn to the center of his chest.
one day you're five, and then eight, and then twelve, and your parents are invincible. nothing can stop them. they kiss all the boo boos, chase away the monsters from under your bed, go through silly nighttime routines just to make you smile, and pray over you before you fall asleep. parents extend their arms to you in the car when they halt to a stop, even though you're wearing a seat belt. they stay up until the early hours of the morning holding you and wiping your tears away while you cry because you're heart is breaking. they tell you that everything is going to be okay, and they dance with you in the isles of the supermarket- spinning you around convincing you that you truly are a princess, because to them you are nothing less. they create an overwhelming feeling of safety and love that burrows in the deepest parts of you.
unfortunately, time passes. slowly and then all at once it seems, we grow up.
twelve turns to sixteen, and then into eighteen, and in an instant- twenty-one comes and goes right before your eyes.
through the years, i have seen my parents in a new light--with age comes understanding, right?
my parents are not super heroes. they face the same every-day battles that i face. they cry. they feel misunderstood. they fall down and they learn to pick themselves back up.
i'm not really sure when it happened--when i stopped seeing them as invincible and started to see them as the people they truly are. i wonder if they see me for me, too.
i guess what i'm trying to say is this:
my mom and my dad... they are not super humans with super human strength, or powers--like flying or teleporting, or seeing through walls (although, all of the above would be pretty stinkin' awesome...).
but they are my heroes. for being human--nothing more, nothing less. for always standing along side me through every obstacle i have faced. for the support in my decisions, even when i was making the wrong ones. for the understanding and the advice. for the long night conversations about life and the future. for the strength they have showed me. for the compassion they have bestowed upon me and ingrained into my bones to give to others--to be a better person.
by being my parents and loving me so strongly and so deeply, they have raised me to have a super-human heart. and i pray that one day, i can endow that to my own children. because i believe with all of my heart that love...love is everything.
