Daddy's Girl

4 years ago...

I never thought I would be surrounded by a room full of strangers that knew me 18 years ago. I had no idea who anyone was or how they were related to me, but somehow I felt at home. I grew up always wondering where I came from. Where I got my blonde hair. My freckles. My height. My chicken legs. I never felt like I would ever completely know who I was until this moment. The moment when my best friend and I knocked on my long lost uncle's door.

"I think I am your niece."

Tears. Hugs. Questions.

"You won't believe this, but your Dad is on his way over here right now."

A whirlwind of emotions. Could I really do this? Could I meet my Dad?

"Rick, I'd like you to meet your daughter."

That one sentence forever changed my life. It simplified things and complicated them all at the same time. I was finally complete. In that instance, I became a daughter, a step-daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, a sister-in-law, an aunt, a cousin, a niece. I know that four years doesn't amount to a lifetime, but it has meant the world to me. I can't imagine my life without these people in it. I'll never forget that day but especially what my step-mom said to me as Kensey and I were leaving. "Sweetheart, you just made your dad's life."

This may seem kind of random, but I often find myself thinking about this moment and trying my hardest to never forget how I felt. With one knee-knocking, heart-pounding, nerve-wrecking knock on the door, so many lives were changed. I am so grateful for my Dad and the love he has so freely given to me...not only in the past 4 years but throughout my entire life. Even if I wasn't able to reciprocate that love until 4 years ago.