Dad shares valuable and heartwarming life advice with daughter on his 77th birthday: 'Just love'

Lived experience might be one of the best things to learn from in life. The next best thing might be to learn from someone else's lived experience. So when a dad celebrated his 77th birthday, his daughter asked him to give his best life advice. In a video shared by Kelly Jensen—who goes by @kellyejensen on Instagram—the dad shared some wise words of advice to help people live better. 

"Just love everybody and everything," the dad began. With warmth in his eyes, he added, "Just be as tender as you can." The man continued that one should speak with a soft voice and be slow to be provoked. Multiple pictures of him and his family played in the background as the dad spoke.  "And just love," the dad warmly expressed. Next up he shared, "Walk in the peaceful paths. The more peace you can bring to your own life and others, the better life will be forever." An adorable video of the man wearing a blue onesie and standing with kids showed up as he said, "Just love and tenderness." The daughter said from behind the camera, "You're the perfect example of that dad."

The old man warmly hugged his daughter as she said that. "You're so sweet," he responded. The text overlay read, "Happy birthday Dad, you make this world a better place." The daughter wrote a long and beautiful caption for her loving dad. It read, "So to the one who: Brought home those he found alone on the streets to shower and eat while we were at school. Providing them with a newish set of clothes and cash (his), coats and bedding (ours), and his work phone number in their pockets."

The woman also revealed how her dad taught her to observe the neighborhood and the grocery stores in hopes of finding ways to help and people to love. "Who showed me how to see others with kind eyes, and that if I were just willing to be still and really hear someone’s story, I couldn’t keep myself from loving them," she added. Her dad always reminded her that the people who act like they don't care need a friend the most.

Some of her dad's teachings are engraved in the woman's heart like "Walk tall like a dragon, swim the river, eagles never listen to chirping sparrows, remember who you are" and so on. These teachings, "have become the melody to which I’m writing my motherhood song." The daughter continued, "I’m grateful for all the voice messages you’ve left me. Reminding me how you see me, even when I don’t see myself the same. I’m grateful for all the time you spent with me, teaching me that I am worth more than anything else you could be doing."

She beautifully revealed, "Thanks for always taking me school shopping, letting me bare my teenage soul, being willing to catch a zillion wild pitches in the backyard, and loving my mom so undeniably and visibly that I couldn’t help but want it for myself." "Dad, I’m really proud to be yours. You’ve taught me how to handle hardships, with courage and humility, to be tough and tender, and the real power of forgiveness but also apology," the daughter heartwarmingly concluded.

People teared up after watching the video and shared their thoughts. @lindsayjdance wrote, "This post is the sweetest thing I’ve read in a while. It’s no wonder you are one of the most caring, compassionate people I’ve ever met. Happy Birthday to your sweet dad." @jjhellermusic commented, "So beautifully said. It sure feels vulnerable to be tender sometimes but love is always worth it." @7boheme remarked, "Agh this choked me up! What a beautiful dad and beautiful relationship you have."

You can follow Kelly (@kellyejensen) on Instagram for more lifestyle content.