My bit of the toast...

So my big brother Rob is getting married tomorrow! And we 4 sisters have been tasked with writing a speech. We divided it up into four parts, Young Rob, Teen Rob, Daddy Rob and Dr. Rob, the healer. I chose Daddy Rob.. and here is my speech... Daddy Rob As the baby of the family, I don’t have young Bobby memories, and when I was a teenager, he was my “moved away, Big Brother Rob” who came home to the valley with the likes of Benny, Bradley and Johnny, always bringing fun and laughter, and his super secret spaghetti sauce recipe. But I think how he treated me as a little one was a great indication as to what kind of father he was to become. When I was about 8, my hero was Wonder Woman. I had the doll, I watched the show faithfully, and had a Wonder Woman costume. I wanted to be Wonder Woman. One day Rob came home with a gift for me. It was an autographed photo of none other than, TA-RA TA-RA, Lynda Carter herself, which he had stood in line for, at World Of Wheels, for two hours to get for me. He was a teenager… and as I understood it, in my self absorbed 8-year-old mind, teenage brothers mostly thought their baby sisters were pests. But no. Two hours. Just for me. And I cherished that photo for years. It said “To Stephanie, Peace, Lynda Carter.” Sadly that photo has been lost, but the indelible impression it left on me, or rather Rob’s efforts to get me such a fine gift, will be in my heart forever. Years later, as the mother of a terminally ill baby daughter, I was again gifted with his love and dedication when he flew across the country to meet her before her short life was over. To celebrate it, to be there with a fellow parent, his pesky kid sister, and to once again prove how boundless his love is. And when his own children came, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind they were the apple of his eye. He never made parenting sound like a chore. He never “babysat.” He was a dad. He does not laugh at his children’s dreams. He encourages them. The rules are in place. But so is the unconditional love. Daddy Rob’s life and all its parts include children. Why? Simply because that is who he is: a Daddy. Fullstop. And now, he has two more daughters to love, play with, laugh with and guide, and lucky little girls they are. xo Stephanie