My father passed shortly after Father's Day in June of 2000. I miss him still, and think of him often. For Father's Day this year, I would once again like to honor him and thank him.

Thanks, dad, for making my childhood a time of laughter and learning, a time of adventure and travel and new experiences, and a time to collect so very many rich memories that I have treasured for a lifetime. Though it's been 19 years since I last got to talk to you or see you, some of those memories still seem like yesterday.

Thanks, dad, for taking such good care of your family always, for making your family such a priority, for making decisions that were good for you and for us throughout our lives together. Thanks for making the lean times seem like times of plenty, for making sure we always had our needs met, and for all the extras we received. I say this with the experience of your care as both a child and an adult.

Thanks, dad, for showing me that all work is honorable, and that it pays off, and that all skills are valuable. Thanks for showing me that it is possible to do many things well and that while skills and interests can be many and varied, they never have to be compromised. You were such a shining example that I am still striving to emulate.

Thanks, dad, for showing me that education matters and that it is never too late to learn, that we are always learning and growing, and that we are each both a student and a teacher.

Thanks, dad, for showing me the value of honesty and integrity. Thanks for showing me the importance of having principles, and of making promises and keeping them.

Thanks, dad, for showing me that changes or hard times may seem like roadblocks or hurdles but they can be turned into advantages and opportunities, that lemons can indeed be made into lemonade, that life will hand us each a series of choices and we can make the most of them. Thanks for showing me that a person can be whatever he – or she – wants to be.

Thanks, dad, for encouraging me when I was a child and when I was an adult. Thanks for listening to me, for guiding and helping me, even when I didn't think I wanted you to, for loving me so unconditionally.

Thanks, dad, for everything you were to me, for everything you taught me, and for all that you provided. Thank you especially for all the love you gave to me and our family.

Thanks, dad. I will never forget, and you are forever in my heart.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.

©Marilda Mel White. Mel White, local photographer/writer and co-owner of Tehachapi Treasure Trove, has been looking on the bright side for various publications since 1996. She welcomes your comments at morningland@msn.com.