My Daddy was like Elvis and John Wayne rolled into one

Today, being Father's Day, is just as hard for me as my daddy's birthday since he's not here. It's been 21 years, a lifetime for some and I still feel the pain whenever I see little girls with their fathers. I never really got to know mine, but I remember him just the same.

The best way to describe my daddy is this - he was a mix between Elvis and John Wayne. That's how I picture him in my mind when I think of him. He wasn't a singer and he wasn't an actor in western movies, he was simply Daddy to me. And at the age of six, he was my hero.

I'm sure every little girl thinks of her father in that way at such an age. It was no different for me, even though as I grow older, the memories fade. His voice grows dimmer in my mind, but his face is one I know I can never forget in a lifetime.

My half-sister told me this story a few years ago, so I thought I'd share it with everyone else.

Daddy and I had gone to visit my half-sister, Ginny and her son, Jeremy. (Yes, my nephew was only one year younger than me.) I was in my biting stage and boy did I love to bite anyone. But that day, I made the mistake of biting my father. I bit him so hard I was trembling. Then, of course I got the spanking of a lifetime. But I never bit him again.

My daddy was great. And I was a daddy's girl for my first six years of life. I went hunting and fishing with my father. I even caught a really big catfish with him. He was proud. I know I'll never forget that day.

So, Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there. Love your children and let your children love you - you never know when the day you're living in will be your last.