I want to preface this by saying that I have posted this before, but I wanted to share it with you. I lost my father when I was 10 and here's all of the things he taught me.
An appreciation for nature. My father taught me to stop and watch a sunset, to feed a stray, to smell the flowers, to grow a garden. I cannot thank him enough for showing me this.
He taught me empathy. My dad was a very caring man, and he taught me to help people who need it however I can. No matter what he was going through with his cancer, he always went out of his way to help others even if it physically hurt him to do so.
He taught me to cook. He would have me get him ingredients from a very young age and to put them in the bowl. This helped me not only learn to cook and bake, but it also preserved his recipes and they live on with me.
He taught me about cars. My father was a mechanic in the military. He showed me how to change the oil, change the brake pads, check my tires, replace a belt, and change a flat. These are skills that I've found most girls do not learn, and I'm glad I have them at my disposal.
He taught me to mow the grass, use tools, fix something broken. All the things one would associate with boys. He showed me girls could do it too.
He taught me that hard work is rewarded. He repeated this often during my life, and I sometimes lack patience but it is a truth. If you work hard and take pride in it, you will be rewarded.
He taught me how to handle money. His method was 1/3 of your earnings to the household, 1/3 to savings and 1/3 to spend as you wish. I still use this method and unlike most of my friends, I have a small nestegg set aside in case of emergencies.
And finally he taught me love. When he passed away, it was early December. He knew he'd never make it to Christmas. On Christmas Eve, the FedEx guy came. He brought me presents from my dad. He had ordered them before he died. The message he sent touched my heart forever. He said to not be sad, it was ok to be happy and that my happiness in life would be his gift that year.