D: Dear Daddy

My dad (2008)

It’s funny how we take our parents for granted until they are no longer with us. Although I cherished the relationship I had with my father, part of me was sure he’d live forever. He had always been in my life, in some form or another, so I couldn’t imagine life without him. My wedding day, the birth of all of my children, the publication of my first book—all my hopes and dreams were imagined with him right along side me.  There are still so many things I'd love to say to him, and I've written him quite a few letters since his passing in 2011.

Soon I will be getting married and it bothers me immensely that he won’t be there to walk me down the aisle. In fact, it saddens me that he never even got to meet my fiancé. My fiancé is a good man with a kind heart and a strong affection for my children. He is the type of man that my father had always hoped I would meet someday. I know with all my heart that my dad would be proud and happy with the man I have decided to marry. Still, I wish he could here for this momentous occasion in my life.

Seeing how my parents didn’t last, I had always assumed that I would never get married. And then after the father of my children just walked away without a single glance back, I was sure I was destined to forever be a single mom. In the end, I stopped daydreaming about weddings, thinking that day would never come.

Despite my strong negative feelings about marriage, my father was wise enough to foresee that one day I’d find the right man and everything would fall in place. I just don’t think he realized he would leave this earth so soon and not get the chance to witness it. My wedding isn’t going to feel the same without him, but I’m determined to take him with me on that day.

No, no matter how old I become, he will always be my daddy. The bond between father and daughter can’t ever be broken. Even death can’t take that love and affection away. I just hope that it doesn’t take my children as long as I did to realize that our time with our parents is limited. Therefore, we really need to be making the most of every moment and cherishing every second they are still in our lives.