today i am grateful for my father, who, like my mother, is an amazing role model in my life. he makes sound decisions swiftly and doesn’t waste time looking back. he’s worked very hard all of his life to take good care of his family. he encouraged me to apply to stanford and then made it possible for me to go when i got in. for my father, there is no moral grey area. if i ask him for advice, i always know that he will give me the right (though not necessarily easy) answer. he’s the most grounded and practical person i know, but he also has a deep well of empathy and generosity. after 40 (ish? bad daughter! i should know!) years of marriage he still treasures my mother, and their marriage is now a roadmap for me on how to conduct my own. he’s a great cook and a terrible singer. i am proud to have inherited his off-key singing voice as well as his people management skills.