In my book, Legally Wed (which is published under my maiden name Patty Froese), one of my secondary characters got away from me a little bit… He was my heroine’s father. My readers wrote to me (a few times!) to say that they completely fell in love with him, and there was good reason for that–he was patterned after my own dad.

My dad is a great guy. He’s well-educated, but humble. He has a dry wit and a big heart. He dotes on his two little dogs (black, fluffy dust mops) and is a whizz in the kitchen. In fact, growing up, I have fond memories of my father’s cooking, and my husband has said (more than once) that as much as he loves MY cooking, I’ll never quite match my dad’s! 😉

My dad has infinite patience for the right things. He’s my “long distance babysitter,” which means that my son will pick up the phone and call him, and my dad will chat with my son for an hour or so while I get some work done. I can hear them from the other room playing the gross-out game. “Okay, okay… I’ve got one. How about fish mixed with mustard with worms on top!” Then they both melt into groans of agony and disgust.

My dad was always there for us. We came first, always. And he adored my mom. He still does, for that matter. I learned what a happy marriage looked like by watching my parents together. My dad would have a meal on the table if my mom worked late. He’d be the first to say, “Hey! Watch it!” if we kids got rude to her. He’d tell her she was beautiful all the time, and when she walked into a room, my dad just kind of melted for her. It was from watching my father that I learned what kind of man I wanted to marry–a guy who would always look at me like that.

It shouldn’t surprise you that I married a guy just like my dad, and I’m so glad that I did! He’s my happily ever after, and my dad is the same loveable rock that he’s always been, supporting me in the background.

So a very happy Father’s Day to my dad. And to my my husband, who has the same big heart and infinite patience for all the right things…

I love you!