Father's Day

Today is a day that lights up the faces and hearts of so many around the country. It is a day that so many look forward to celebrating. However, that's never been my story. Most of my life, Father's Day has been celebrated via phone calls and mailed cards. In fact, the picture shown above may be one of the only photographs I have with my father. Now that you have some of the facts here is the purpose of this post. Though our circumstances changed, my father's love did not.

I have dealt with the separation from my father for over seventeen years. Growing up there were times that I became very heartbroken and distraught because I longed for the comfort of my daddy. At the age of twenty four, I am just now able to cope with the fact that my father has been incarcerated for majority of my life. I didn't see it then but now that I am older and I can look at things from a mature perspective here's what I know about my father.

The fact that he is incarcerated has NEVER stopped him from wanting to be there. Unlike a lot of other men in this world, a mistake never made my father feel like he was too incompetent to be a father. I can look back over my life growing up and remember the times I'd get in a little trouble. My father still assisted my mother in disciplinary actions regarding something that I'd done wrong. I was still more afraid for my mom to tell my dad something than for her to deal with me on her own.

He never missed a birthday or Christmas. My daddy never made an excuse as to why he couldn't have us a gift for our birthdays or Christmas. In fact, he found resources and collaborated with them to make sure that we always had something from him on each occasion.

He always made sure he did his best to make sure we had what we needed. My father was big on communicating with my mother and grandparents when it came to taking care of us. He tried his best to make arrangements and agreements to make sure that we never had to want for anything.

He never gave up on trying to build a relationship with me. There was a patch in my life when I was really hurt and I resented my father. I didn't talk to him for a few years and refused to write or go visit. He never gave up. He stayed persistent until I came around and once I did he listened to what I had to say.

Today, I celebrate my father's courage. I celebrate the man that he has become through accepting the will of God and his own mistakes. My daddy may not be the ideal father for some but even in his absence he taught me everything I needed to know. The greatest lesson my daddy has taught me is that, people make time and put in effort for those that they love. And for this reason my love for my father will span for forever.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!