To the Journal editor:

For the past few months, you have all probably thought differently about my dad. Personally, I have never been more proud of him. There has been a lot of hate directed towards this family, friends of many years have disappeared, many hateful words have been spat towards us, and endless stereotypes have been placed on our shoulders.

It has felt like war, and we have been treated like the enemy. However, one person has stayed stronger in this family than the rest of us: My dad. Lately, I’ve looked back to simpler times to feel better. I remember my dad planning routes for Halloween for my sister and me to get the most amount of candy. We would rush up and down streets to fill our plastic pails full of candy just to rush together back to the car to get to another street full of candy filled homes.

I remember him coaching me in little league baseball. I remember hitting my very first home run, as I ran down the bases I looked back towards him and saw him smiling bigger than I’d seen him ever before. I remember my family driving for hours to get to swim meets just so my parents could sit in the stands and cheer us on. I remember him handing me and many others our high school diplomas.

He was with me in the ER during my many sports injuries telling me that it would be okay. He was with me and many of you on the football field as the announcer. He was with me carrying furniture when I moved out of the house. He has always been there for everyone in my family. He has been there for whoever needed him. He has always been strong, continues to be strong, and will always be strong, and I attribute that to his faith. I could not have been given a better dad. I could not have been given a more caring and supportive father.

He is a person like you and I, and we are all on the same team, we all want what’s best for our home and our neighbors. At the end of the day we all want everything to be okay, we all want everything to be simple. Remember that he is a family man who puts others above himself. I love you dad.