It's Father's Day This Sunday!

Do something nice for him.
Here's a few words I sent to my dad to get you in the mood:

I will be celebrating Father's Day in Tijuana, doing something that I love dearly--doing what I can to make the lives of the marginalized just a little bit brighter. And the reason that I even am able to do something like this is because of you and all the support and love you have given me over the years. You have given me a soft heart, one that is sensitive to the plight of others and finds genuine pain in the face of injustice. You could laugh at me for being young, naive, idealistic, you name it, but over the years I think you have come to see this need to aid others as the way my soul is meant to exist. I am a child of whims, easily romanticized and enchanted by new adventures. But this desire to help others has been fostered by you (and mom) in a loving environment and has therefore grown into a tangible duty that I must realize. During high school, I threatened you with grand ideas of going into the Peace Corps in Afghanistan and "saving the world." At that time, I think I just wanted to make you guys realize I was independent and was determined to do whatever I wanted. And while my ideas now are a bit less grand, they certainly still focus on people who need my help. Know that whatever I end up doing (graphic design, journalism, non-profits, technology) it is going to focus on using my talents and my education to help the world become a better place. The education I have received at LMU, and more importantly from you, has prepared me for a life that I know is not going to be easy. It's going to be messy and painful, heartbreaking and with little reward. But I'm getting strong enough to take it. The way you have cultivated love inside of me makes me know it is possible for me to do that for another human being.

You are the man I look up to most in my life. Part of the reason I haven't had a serious relationship is because I haven't found anyone even a percentage as admirable as you. I am really proud of you, and I know your intellect could be put to use in ways far more amazing than the things Ford has you doing. I would HONESTLY love to spend some time doing service with you, and see the way your mind could be put to use in the lives of people who really need help. I know you can be skeptical of opportunities like that at times, but please trust that I am no longer on this career path merely because of romantic ideals. I'm doing this for real. Be excited for me! Know that I'm learning a lot, researching the way the world works, learning the business side of nonprofits, and I genuinely want to see a change. Thank you for being the greatest father I have ever known, for loving my mother beyond all her faults, for having a soft heart yourself (toward Dusty, Buffy, the birds you feed outside and the hateful fish), for appreciating LOLcats and for loving model boats so much you wrote a book about it. You amaze and inspire me!

I love you!!