Dear Daddy,

Honestly, I don’t know where to start. Lots of things are running through my mind as I reflect on the past 21 years I was able to call you “dad”. Many memories are streaming through my mind, and even many more that had been long forgotten are coming back. As I think back on everything, all I can say is “Wow” – I have an amazing dad.

I want to share an experience I had few days ago whilst I was sitting in my last business marketing class before finals. The class had already been going for about 2 hours already and I was mentally drained. The teacher was wrapping up the material. His sudden booming voice that rang throughout the hall suddenly became soft and gentle. With all seriousness and sincerity, he announced that he wanted to end the class by sharing some of his personal thoughts and experiences in the business field. As you know, he had been working for some of the top Food and laundry detergent companies for many years before he was recruited to teach here.

He began with telling us about his first day of work after graduating from BYU. He had landed on a job working for a well-known food company. It was exciting and he loved it. Everyone was friendly, and he connected well with his colleagues. This was his passion!

Second day of work he went in excited. Unfortunately that same day his company announced they were cutting employees. In business there is a saying “Its not if you get laid off its a matter of when you get laid off”. He was devastated and nervous. How could things have turned around so bad? Worse of all, how can I tell my wife? Suddenly the future of his career, the prospect of working at a large company seemed bleak and dim. It was then he realized that business was not exactly how he envisioned it to be.

He was very fortunate to be able to stay with his job. But his view of business had changed.

1 year later, he was transferred to work in a different department under a boss that was known to be “difficult”. In his own words he said, “I hated it”. For the next year, he watched his boss belittle, talk down, ridicule, criticize people in every way possible. He started to hate the one thing he had loved. After counseling time and time again with his wife, he decided to pray about it. The answer came that he shouldn’t give up. But how would survive?

It was after a tough year before his boss left the company. In his old boss’ place came another man – a honest man that pushed him in the right ways, a boss that he respected.

I noticed as he talked about this latter boss, his eyes became red and his voice hoarse. This man completely changed his life. He shared how grateful he was to have endured that year and had not given up.

“In the field, there will be days where you will work so hard, where you will feel like the way you do at school studying for finals. There will be days where you will hate it. That is the reality of business. Business is great, I still love it. But just remember one thing – whatever you do wherever you are in life remember to work it out with God.”
Daddy, as I heard him talk about this, I started to wonder how it was like for you when you started working at your first company? I wondered if there were days you felt like that too? You never once did you show your stress or even complain about your job. How did you manage to hold it in?

I also wondered how much you went through just so we could enjoy the pleasure of clothes, food, school, vacations. Maybe business isn’t as simple as I thought it would be…maybe even life isn’t as glamorous as I thought it would be.
I don’t know how you did it and how you still do it everyday. You learned to love it, you learned to balance your time so you were always there with us, you always accept responsibilities in church that took more of your time away…yet you never said a word. More importantly, we never felt the difference – you were always there for us.

How did Dad do it? How did you do it? I don’t really know but one thing I do know is that it really takes a strong will, faith- filled heart, and unflinching desire to be able to succeed the way you did. It takes a bucket load full of humility and kindness and love to be able to smile through those bad days just for your little girls. I am grateful I have a dad who has provided me with a beautiful childhood. I am grateful for a dad who never ever let his girls doubt in any way that he loved them. I am grateful for a dad who never let his work compromise his daddy-daughter times. I am grateful for a dad who still calls us during his work time every week even when we are halfway across the country. I am grateful for a dad who sits through a skype session listening to us rant about school or about not being able to buy the right dress. I am thankful that I have a dad who expresses his love to my mum and  treats her like a queen. But above all, I am most grateful that I have someone like YOU to call my hero, my exemplar and “Dad”.

Happy Father’s Day! Daddy we love you!

LOVE, 

Your Daughters

Korean Sticky Baked Korean Wings (GF, Oil-Free)

 

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Adapted from FoodNetwork

Author: Unconventional Cooks

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4 lbs chicken wings
• Salt and Pepper
• Marinade:
• 2 tbsp GF Gochujang (Recipe here)
• 2 tbsp GF Soy Sauce
• 6 tbsp Clover Honey
• 4 tsp Lime Juice
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
2. Season your chicken generously with salt and pepper.
3. Spread the wings in a single layer on a lined baking tray. Bake the chicken wings for 20 minutes.
4. In the meantime, mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer gently over low heat. You want the flavors to combine, but you don't want the sauce to reduce too much.
5. Remove the chicken from the oven and brush over the sauce. Alternatively, I find it easier to transfer the wings into a large mixing bowl and pour over half the sauce to toss.
6. Turn the oven to HIGH broil. Broil each side for 2-3 minutes to your desired "charr". (If you do have leftover marinade still I find that glazing them FOR A SECOND TIME after broiling one side)

Notes

Paleo, Grain-Free:
Substitute Soy Sauce with Coconut Aminos

3.5.3251

LOVE,

Zoe & Mia

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