When you were 8 years old, your dad handed you an ice cream.
You thanked him by dripping it all over his lap.
When you were 9 years old, he paid for piano lessons.
You thanked him by never even bothering to practice.
When you were 10 years old, he drove you all day, from soccer to gymnastics to one birthday party after another.
You thanked him by jumping out of the car and never looking back.
When you were 11 years old, he took you and your friends to the movies.
You thanked him by asking to sit in a different row.
When you were 12 years old, he warned you not to watch certain TV shows.
You thanked him by waiting until he left the house.
When you were 13, he suggested a haircut that was becoming.
You thanked him by telling him he had no taste.
When you were 14, he paid for a month away at summer camp.
You thanked him by forgetting to write a single letter.
When you were 15, he came home from work, looking for a hug.
You thanked him by having your bedroom door locked.
When you were 16, he taught you how to drive his car.
You thanked him by taking it every chance you could.
When you were 17, he was expecting an important call.
You thanked him by being on the phone all night.
When you were 18, he cried at your high school graduation.
You thanked him by staying out partying until dawn.
When you were 19, he paid for your college tuition, drove you to campus, carried your bags.
You thanked him by saying good-bye outside the dorm so you wouldn't be embarrassed in front of your friends.
When you were 25, he helped to pay for your wedding, and he cried and told you how deeply he loved you.
You thanked him by moving halfway across the country.
When you were 50, he fell ill and needed you to take care of him.
You thanked him by reading about the burden parents become to their children.
And then, one day, he quietly died. And everything you never did came crashing down like thunder on YOUR HEART.
