A post in the series, “Why I Write About My Dad Each May.” Find all the posts here.

Dad’s Journal, November 5, 2003:

“Kaori wrote a thank you note to me.  It was so sweet.  One of those things that makes you think that it was worth being away just to have her appreciate my being back and letting me know it.  I am so thankful God has given me a daughter.  She is different from the boys, more than just being a different person (as each of the boys is different from each other).  It’s one of life’s, one of God’s deep blessings.”

My dad loved my sister with tenderness and relentlessness. We were his boys, but she was his princess, his preciousness. Their relationship was one of the most beautiful things I ever witnessed. He made me want to have a daughter and cherish her with all my heart. I am thankful for the example he gave us boys on how to father a daughter.