Hey Dad 

Thank you. The other night I had done something I hadn’t done in a very long time. I had managed to find a spare moment and my mind instantly said put on a record. 

When I can’t decide which one, I usually end up running my finger across the stacks of records  I have collected over the years and pick one randomly. This time it was Billy Joel’s Glass Houses. My other rule when I do this is I can’t look at the track list and I just put it on the turntable how it comes out of the record cover.  Side one track four stopped me in my tracks.

Its still rock and roll to me. What a song. You probably don’t remember the first time you played this song for me. I was twelve, maybe thirteen, school was hard, I was learning how to work with my newly diagnosed learning disability and the bullying had, like most years, started up again. I don’t know if you could recognize the feeling of helplessness and anxiety my young mind was facing at that time. But you did what you did best. 

Took me under your wing, showed me love, and shinned me up and set me off into the world ready to face it with my head held high. Sounds like a weird analogy but it makes sense in my head. You took me out to the movies but before we went you and I stood beside your motorcycle and we had a talk. In my head I just felt cool because you were shining a light on me and my feelings… I felt seen and heard. Not to mention I got to wear moms motorcycle jacket which made me feel like a x-men. But standing there you told me exactly what I needed to hear. “Andrew you are an individual and nobody can take that away from you, one day people will celebrate you for that” 

As we got on the bike you wired me up with your ipod and told me to listen to a song on our drive. As I pressed play and you took off I heard the opening notes to Its still rock and roll to me. I don’t know how you did it but you picked the exact song I needed to hear in that moment. Every lyric seering itself into my mind left a feeling of embracing yourself and everything that you are and not letting anybody steer you away from that. 

I remember returning to school in the month after that thinking don’t let the haters get to you, focus on what you can do and embrace every challenge that comes your way. To this day I still turn to that song when I need to convince myself that I’m worth it. Thank you for instilling this lesson in me when I needed it most. I love you 

Side note: That lesson on how to stand to look cool in a line up….  You know the unzipped jacket and one hand in your pocket 😉 works like a charm Blaine thinks it’s cute.