Dear Daughter (Father's Day 2021)

Dear Daughter, 

First, know that I love you beyond my words. I pray this is obvious by my actions, our late-night talks, and each early morning breakfast together. I pray you’re reminded of this each time I hold you tight and carry you to your bed at night. I pray each silly song we sing, and each note we play on our out-of-tune piano brings us closer together. 

I hope you hear my prayers and know I’m praying for you, your mother, our family, our church, our community, our country, and our world. Our prayers, including yours, are powerful. I hope I can be a teacher to show you the word of God, and explain how it changed my life, so you know how it can affect your life and the lives of those you influence. 

I hope I can shield you from some of life’s hurts, but when I can’t, I pray to always have the strength to hold you close and hold you tight when the pain becomes more than you can bear alone. 

I know you're strong. I know you're independent and I know you have your own path to forge in this life. I pray the road you take is full of both ups and downs, strength and weakness because without the lows you won’t fully appreciate the highs. I pray each time you fall, you rise up, rise above, and keep moving forward. You’re an amazing young lady. 

Second, I pray you know I’m not perfect. I fall, and I fail. I hope you see beyond each tired outburst, each time I’ve said “no,” without reason, and each time I’ve not been the dad I could have been. It’s not you, it’s me, and know that I’m trying each day to be a better dad than I was the day before. 

With much love, 

Dad

To My Dad

To my dad, I never knew you. You never knew me. Even so, without you I wouldn't be here. To be honest, I wouldn't exist. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to become a dad. It's an experience I wouldn't trade for anything.

I wouldn't know the feeling of tiny newborn fingers wrapping around my thumb. I wouldn't know the joy of seeing my baby girl take her first steps, or the excitement on her face when she sees me walk in the door from a long day at work. Those emotions, those experiences, those are true moments I live for.

I grew up not knowing you, and you lived life not knowing I existed. The truth is... I may not have had you in my life, but I did have others who filled your role. They showed me wisdom, connection, and correction. I learned what it meant to fall down and be picked back up. I also learned that if I fall, I can force myself back up.

Beyond all that, I learned what it meant to call on my heavenly Father. I've called on God when I needed direction. I've called on God when I felt lost and alone. He's been my Rock, my Shield, and my Hope.

Today, on Father's Day, I want to assure you that I don't hate you, I'm not mad or upset. Instead, I want to thank you, because if it wasn't for you I wouldn't exist, my daughter wouldn't exist and I wouldn't have experienced what it means to be a dad.

The son you never knew, Eric