Editor's note: We have a winner! Please see our updated story to read the story submitted by contest winner Donna MacNeal. Congratulations! The Patch staff wants to thank everyone for such amazing, heartbreaking and laugh-out-loud comments about the first #1 man in your life, Dad.
Father's Day is days away and many of you may be wondering what you can give to your father to thank him for all that he has given to you.
Gifts can be thoughtful, but sometimes it’s the words that mean more, that show you truly care and appreciate what he did.
We’d like to give each of you the opportunity to tell the greater Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas why your father is so special and what makes him so wonderful. You may have a story you’d like to share or words of appreciation. We want to read it.
We are hoping to find some truly great Father’s Day stories, so please be sure to include your hometown in your post.
We’re so excited about getting these great stories that we’re offering $500 to one lucky person. You may want to share it with dad and take in a ballgame together, but that’s up to you. To enter, all you have to do is post your story or reflection of your dad in the comments area of this story. Please keep it to 100 words or fewer. (One entry per user.)
If you’d like to upload a picture of your dad to this article, we’d love to see it (but you have to leave a comment to be eligible for the prize.)
Want to make sure you find out who won this contest? Go to the "Email me updates about this story" area below and click on "Keep me posted." You'll get an email when the winner is announced.
For the complete rules, please see the attached documents of this story.
Frustrated with my post-college job hunt, I took a job that was far beneath my ability, and Dad softly told me that he was disappointed. I resigned before I ever started that job. That day, I learned not to sell myself short. For that lesson and many, many others, Thank you, Dad.
My father is an honest, hard working man. Coming from a rough childhood, he learned that no one can do anything better than he could if he wanted to make himself as successful as possible. And that's exactly what he did: He pulled himself together, working harder than anyone around him. Eventually he ended up with 5 wonderful children, all incredibly different and talented. After finding great success within himself, he's taught all of us that no one can be better than us at the things we're best at. To be the best, you must believe you are. I don't necessarily believe that I'm the best at what I do, but I do believe in myself because of him. And I truly believe that I came from the best dad around.
Broomall, Pa
An all American, curly redhead, burly football player who later became a Vietnam Vet, an employee of a local school, then a self employed businessman, my Dad has worn many hats in his life. He was an avid outdoorsman who taught me how to fish, hunt, shoot, build, apprieciate nature and how to have a good time out in it. He taught me responsiblity, however tough it was to get through the head of a strong willed teenage girl. He is the ultimate fighter,as he was struck with every physical ailment you can think of. It would have killed most people. Liver failure requiring not one but two transplants, diabetes, heart attacks, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and most recently, kidney failure requiring dialysis. For all that he has been through, he continues to fight, the rest of us keep going and growing. He still teaches me to this day as I have been a dialysis worker for 15 years, and am now more totally understanding what my patients go through by listening to him. He will always teach us, my two young boys, and everyone who knows him how to just keep on going. Love ya Dad!