Dads

Dad. Father. Papa. Pa. Daddy.

There are so many names but, whichever name you choose, we all have a father. In fact, you did not enter into this world without one. Dads are an important influence in our lives. Some people have very present fathers and others, not so present. Some people have very close relationships with their dads and some do not. As Father’s Day approaches, I started to think about my relationship with my dad.

My dad was not so present.

He was 18 when I was born. He was not ready to be a dad. He would hang out in bars and he drank too much. He would beat on my mom and occasionally on me. I do remember some good times. He loved to fish and he would take me fishing with him. He and my mom got divorced when I was 10. From then until about 6 years ago, he floated in and out of my life. Six years ago he got sick and ended up in the hospital. One of my sisters called me to let me know and I decided there was no better time than now, to go see him. He was really happy to see me and I promised him that I would keep in touch and I did. I would call him and check up on him to see how he was doing and about what was going on in his life. I found myself starting to care about him again and my love for him began to grow. You see, I developed a very hard heart towards my dad over the years and it had taken me a very long time to get past it. About a year and a half ago, my one sister, who my dad was living with, called me to tell me he was in the hospital again. He had cancer and there was nothing they could do for him. This time phone calls were not enough and I went to visit. It turned out to be a very good thing. We talked about everything. I saw how we were so much alike. We started bonding. I was able to forgive him and let go of the past. Sadly, my dad passed away on election day, 2020. I miss him very much but I know he is in heaven with my Heavenly Father.

I guess what I am trying to say is, if you are blessed with still having your dad around, tell him how much you love him. Repair a bad relationship if possible. If you had a good relationship, thank him for it.

God chose our parents for us. He knew what he was doing. We may not understand but God make no mistakes. He loves us.