The person I wanted to tell you about is my dad. I picked my dad because he has done so much for me and my family. He has taught me almost everything I know and made sure to be there for me whenever I needed him. He did all of this without having a dad in his life and, to me, it's crazy that he didn't have a father figure and he is still the best dad I could ask for. Let me tell you more about him. 

My dad has taught me so much and I am so thankful to have him in my life. He showed me sports and ever since then we have bonded through sports. Baseball is the one that really stuck with me and my dad was there with me every step of the way. I got pretty good from a young age and we decided to make a travel team. Then, after a year of the travel team, I joined a nationally ranked team and that meant in the summer we were in town for 2 weeks the whole summer. Every week new states, Texas, Indiana, New York and even Florida, and my dad was at every tournament, every plane ride. Not every parent would do that for their kid and I really appreciate him for that. 

Not all parents are willing to sacrifice that much time for their kids.

I want to tell you a story about my dad and how much he really cares about me. I am in Illinois for a tournament and my dad had to work so he was coming down a day later. So I just drove down there with one of the kids on my team. I forgot my baseball bag in his car and without that I could not play. We are 5 hours away from each other and I played that night. I told him I had forgotten my bag back at home. He drove 5 hours to get me my bag and he showed up 30 minutes before the game started. Even though I messed up and it was not his problem or his bag, he left work and drove 5 hours just so I had my stuff and to me that meant a lot, because I know a lot of parents wouldn't do that for their kids.

The necklace that I always wear is the one that he gave me. He bought it when he was 19 and waited till I was old enough to have it and this year he gave it to me. This is probably the most important thing that I own. It is priceless. I wouldn't sell it if someone offered me 10,000 dollars for it. It means so much to me because I know my dad is always with me, no matter what happens or how hard times get. I know I can always turn to my dad and he will have a solution, no matter if it's his problem or not. Hopefully, I have a son and I can give him it next. My dad made it very clear that the people you hang out with affect you and, so, I make sure to make smart choices and who I can hang out with. If you hang out with people that don't want to do anything with their lives, then that can rub off on you and make you less motivated, so I tried to hang out with people that want to play sports in college and want to have a good life. 

But to wrap it up, he is the best dad I could ever ask for. From what he has been through growing up without a dad to being the best dad in the world. That comes with being there for me, pushing me to be the best I can be and always listening to my problems. I am so thankful for the bond that we have and all that he has done for me, because I know that every child doesn't have both parents or a dad that is as good as mine. I know you can't get a good picture of how awesome he is through an essay, but he means the world to me and I would do anything for him and I know he would do anything for me.