December 06, 2011

{22 years}of an amazing life

this is my step-daddy
he is amaziballs {seriously}
while in elko for thanksgiving
we celebrated my step-daddy's
22 AA birthday!

That means that this amazing man has been sober for 22 years
all whilst raising the motley crew that is my brothers, sisters, and i.
{all through our teenage years might i add}

he has been amazing
and unbearable
and completely off his rocker at times
{and well all reciprocated with the same attitudes, craziness, and unbearableness}
however, i honestly believe with all my heart and soul
that if it wasn't for his strength..
his determination...
his "tough love" at times...
his lessons
his knowledge of the "real world"
and his ability to see right through the bull shit
{pardon my language, but that is exactly how he would put it}
i, myself, would not be the person i am today.

now i cannot speak for the rest of my brother's and sister's,
but i have a feeling that somewhere deep down inside they would all agree
even thought he, at times, was the last person on earth we wanted to listen to...
his words spoke the truth, whether we liked it or not.
and to this day i am a firm believer
that the truth is all there is
and, in the words of my step-daddy, the "bull shit" is a huge waste of time.
and honestly...who has the extra time???

so to you, step-daddy
happy 22 birthday
happy 22 years of an ever growing family
{like i said, 5 kids and significant others, 12 grandkids, and growing}
you deserve to grin from ear to ear at the life and family you guys have created.

and as for myself...
i will never forget the long and cold walk around the block
of our favorite family chinese restaurant in livermore
where you promised this very untrusting little girl
that you would never leave.
you taught me to find my voice and find myself
and without that...i would not have the family i deserve.

so i thank you.
i love you.
and i wish you many more years of accomplishements to celebrate.

♥ Happy 22nd Step-Daddy ♥

p.s. behind every great man is a very understanding woman with an open heart, open mind, and ability to breath throught it all.  thank you momma, for following him along in his journey. learning with him. standing by him. and creating this life we call "family" ♥

1 comment:

  1. This is beautiful Shaunna, thanks for sharing, it literally has me weeping. So wonderful that we can look back at the good and bad times and reflect on how it has gotten us to who and where we are today. It's awesome you were able to share this amazing milestone with someone so important in your life. XOXO

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