My dad spent the first year of my life in uniform, deployed to a far-off desert. He was serving in the army and training Iraqi officers, but as a baby, the most I knew of him were the images my mother showed me each day to ensure that I knew who he was. I’ve been told that this worked, and upon his homecoming I recognized him immediately. From there, we began to make up for lost time, as described in the song he wrote for me entitled Princess Games. This song doesn’t only have the most important message to me because my dad wrote it. Every word of affirmation is backed by my dad’s actions. He begins the song by explaining that he will not be attending a meeting because he’s going home to play with me. Since becoming a princess was my primary career goal(tea parties were a frequent occurrence), he referred to our activities as princess games. In the bridge, my dad surmises that “leaving the office work unfinished shouldn’t be a crime, and for all the pain that’s bound to come- it will be alright”. Sure enough, there was a lot of pain to come, as my dad was diagnosed with PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder, and lost his mom to cancer. This was all very difficult, but none of it prevented him from being an amazing father to me any more than the office work did. So not only did this song show me that my father has an unshakable faith in putting his family first, but it also described an insurmountable love that was backed by pure resilience and fatherhood. The message of this song- one of love and hope- is most important to me because thirteen years later, it still rings true.