Papa

Happy Father's Day to all our dads! Today, we have two posts; the first, a letter Saanya wrote to her dad as part of '30 gratitudes'. The second post, something I wrote about my Dad on the occasion of his 80th birthday.From Saanya to Papa:My dad and I are too similar for words. He and I have the same taste in music, clothes, cities, movies; we share the same opinions and reactions and expressions; and most importantly we are both obsessed with Manchester United! My dad and I have always had a special relationship — from when I was younger and I would run down the corridor of our Geneva apartment and we would wrestle and call it ‘ruff stuff’, to when he coached my soccer team and always pushed me to try harder, to the countless science projects we did together, to the fits of tears after a hard day of school which he always cured with a hug and a tub of Ben-and-Jerry’s Pistachio ice cream. Papa has always been there for me, whether it was to share a laugh or to comfort me when I am upset. Papa has always pushed me to be my best, whether it be in sports or school or on the stage, but he has never put pressure on me. With Pa, a bad grade is cured by an anecdote of one of his mishaps at Westminster, a friend problem is resolved by a father-daughter trip to the mall or the tennis court, and an accomplishment is always accompanied by more than the sufficient amount of teasing. Love you Pa.