Usually, people want the perfect family, with no divorce or loss. I, on the other hand did not lose a family or a dad (via divorce, cancer decided to be the one to take him from me), I gained another father. Mark didn't take the place of my daddy; no one could ever do that. But he did add more to my life, added more to my heart. I am one of the lucky ones that all three of my parents got along wonderfully, sat together at all my softball games, music performances, winterguard competitions. When my dad got sick, so sick to where he couldn't do anything for himself anymore, my stepdad stepped right in to help him in every way he could.
Now, things between he and I have not always been peachy, we've had our moments where I questioned my mom's decision to marry him. He used to be a very heavy drinker, lied about a lot of things. It got to the point where my mom was ready to leave him if he didn't finally get his life back together. In the end, he chose his family over the addiction he had to alcohol. He went to AA, and is now working on 4 years clean (April 16th). He works harder than any man I know, and provides for us in ways I could never thank him enough for. This weekend, he took my mom and I out to dinner twice, at two places that are rather pricey just for a night out at dinner. He took me car shopping, and is helping me pay for a car that I am in love with, with all the bells and whistles. We got home tonight, and there were the most beautiful orange/pink roses sitting on the table waiting for my mom. Not only were there roses on the table, there was also another bouquet of flowers in her bathroom waiting for her. He bought her a brand new Suburban for Christmas with everything she wanted in it, and she has yet to pay for gas. He fills up her tank for her. I know those are little things, but they are the things that I am so grateful for, he goes the extra extra mile for all of us and doesn't expect anything in return. He strives for our happiness, and works his ass off every single day to provide us with more than we deserve.
When my dad died, I honestly don't know what I would have done without him. He held me while I cried, helped me as much as he could, and never tried to replace my dad. Because of that, I have the utmost respect for him, because if I didn't have him in my life, the death of my father would have been 10 times worse for me than it is right now. I would have no dad, no father figure in my life without Mark. He was my Markie when I was a little girl, and he will always be my Markie, for the rest of my life. I honestly can't even express how thankful God has put him in my life. Because without him, I don't know where I'd be.
