When a daughter first meets her father, she makes room in her heart for the first significant man in her life; she becomes Daddy’s little girl
My Dad’s Birthday is a week from today (March 31st) so I’ve decided to take a week to write a thank you letter to him. I’m taking a week because my dad is bigger than the world to me and I don’t want to miss anything that he deserves to be thanked for. So, to me, it’s very important for me to capture everything I love about him.
Yup, I’ve always been crazy about my dad, I mean he gave me endless shoulder rides and taught me how to do the peppermint twist. We’ve covered the pavement so many times together on our famous father/daughter road trips~ sharing laughter, tears, life and love. The smell of pipe smoke will always remind me of him~always~. His smiling face watching me in the stands at ball games and cheerleading rallies. My true to fashion racquetball partner who like in
life, doesn’t move real fast, but can cover the court without effort, much like the way he’s covered my life in love -effortlessly.
I’m asking you to join me this week in writing a letter to your father.
Maybe some of you want to write a different letter, maybe an apology letter, or a letter asking for answers, or a letter about something you’ve always wanted to tell him but have never gotten the chance or the courage to say.
To me, letters have always been therapeutic, I used to write letters to friends, boyfriends, my parents, even God when I was upset about something…it was amazing how writing a letter to someone really helps heal your soul. I’d sign my letter, put it in an envelope, address it and ship it into the garbage can….somehow it made me feel better having my feelings expressed. It was a way of cleaning out my “negative system” so to speak. I remember one time when I was a teenager, my mom and I didn’t get along at all, we were like water and vinegar. I wrote my dad a letter –and this is the honest to God’s truth- asking him to leave Mom and Danny (my younger brother) and move to Tucson…except, I didn’t throw this letter into the landfill abyss, I actually gave it to Dad…and 15 some years later, we laugh about this letter and joke about taking each other to a land far, far away!
Now I know some of your fathers are in Heaven….like Mom. He died of a massive heart attack when he was 40 leaving behind my Grandma and 4 children. The only way I’ve known my grandpa was through the kind words spoken from family members and chalky black and white photographs. You can still write a letter to your dad…don’t throw this one away though, save it, tuck it away, somewhere safe. Someday, you may be guided by something special to find a peaceful spot, on a sunny day and maybe you’ll be compelled to read this letter out loud. You can fill the air with emotion, laughter, sadness, memories and tears. Allow yourself to have a moment of silence to continue to express what you meant to say but never got around to, or just a gracious prayer to God thanking Him for letting you share your life with such a treasured man.
So, this week, write your own letter to Dad…send it to him if you want, invite him over for dinner and read it to him before Grace, or throw it away if you feel that’s needed.
In his eyes, she will always be his little princess, the light of his life. In her eyes, he will always be the brave knight who slayed the monsters in her closet, her hero, her protector
