Rise And Shine | Happy Father's Day

Every school morning at 6am, my bedroom door would swing open and all I would hear was the happy, cheerful voice of my father, practically singing, “rise and shine”, “rise and shine”.  This would be the start to many mornings growing up.  “Rise and shine”, he would sing as he would pull down the window shades so fast they would snap down and fly up, wrapping around at the top, instantly letting the light in!  “Rise and shine” was exactly how my dad started our mornings.  And of course, we would whine and tell him to stop or to pull the shades back down, to go away, and beg for just five more minutes.  But this is how my dad rolls.  He lives life rising and shining so grateful and excited for each new day.  The happiest, most positive person I know who doesn’t take life too seriously and is perfectly content sleeping on a mattress outside on the screened-in porch.

My dad... 

A simple man. A family man.  A man who leads by example.  There is a lot of depth that runs within those words, a lot of fun memories and hysterical stories that go beneath it all.  But when I think about my father, those are the words that best sum up the wonderful man he is.  His example has shaped the person I am and he has been my role model for life. 

He’s the type of man who you can talk with for hours about God, philosophy, life, sports, home projects, finances, and will usually turn any topic of conversation into a Beatles song.  And he is also someone who admittedly has lost his small children in the grocery store or at a tree farm, hey, no big deal, he knew he would find us :).  A simple man who will grab his daughter's hands and dance to Frank Sinatra any chance he gets.  And these days, his greatest joy is picking gerbera daisies to give to my niece, his granddaughter, just to make her feel extra special.     

This Father’s Day, I wish all you amazing fathers, including my wonderful father in-law and brother in-laws, a very special day.  Thank you dads for your commitment to your families, your examples of how to foster the minds and hearts of your children.  Thank you for your dedication to showing your children that family is everything.  To those who may be remembering and celebrating your fathers in your heart, I wish you continued peace and comfort, always. 

The image below is one I wanted to share and felt it was fitting for my dad on Father's Day.  It is a very special photograph of us that was candidly taken by a hospital photographer after an eye surgery I had when I was almost two years old.  This photograph is one my dad and I cherish and even today I find myself staring at it for hours just being thankful for a dad like mine.  

Happy Father’s Day dad.  You are simply the best.  I am so blessed to have you by my side cheering me on every step of the way.  I know I speak for our family who feel the same way.  We thank you, we love you!

Wishing you all a Happy Father's Day
xoxo,
anne

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 Anne is a Connecticut based natural light photographer specializing in family, children, and engagement portrait photography.  To learn more about booking your portrait session, please contact Anne at annemariephotographyct@gmail.com