Father’s Day. June 16, 2013.

We played this song at his funeral; he and I had recently spent hours ruminating over both Jeff Buckley and Leonard Cohen’s renditions in his study.

Thinking of Dad on Father’s Day. Missing an incredibly and deeply loved man, grateful for the years I got to be his daughter, honored to have been a piece of his unforgettable life, and looking forward to seeing him again one day.

I’m extremely grateful for the men who have stepped in as “father figures” in my life and who were there even before there was a gap that needed to be filled. Jeff Trautman, Andy Davidson, Joe Harbison, Phil Miller, Ron Odermott, and all the wonderful young men I am lucky enough to call my friends-thank you thank you thank you.

Thank you to the men who serve as role models to those around them by leading lives that call for respect and honor; in a world so riddled with weakness, selfishness, and destruction-your actions and thoughts make a difference in ways you may not even know. For the fathers who hold the weight of their roles as seriously as you do- with joy, satisfaction, discipline, and frustration- you are amazing and the admiration I hold for you has no bounds. For those who have yet to embark on the journey-I wish you the best of luck and only hope that one day, you can love your daughter or son the way my dad loved me: unrelenting, nonjudgmental, forgiving, and full of grace. That isn’t to say he didn’t get angry. I got the scolding of my life the time I threw an open faced tuna sandwich at my sister and it hit the wall instead.

Yes, even when I had terrible blonde hair and dated boyfriends that would make any father (or mother!) cringe- he was there to hold me, support me, and accept me as is- and always would.

Hal Mischke, you’re unforgettable.