Is Father’s Day worth remembering when you don’t have a daddy?

Since my daddy left when I was five, I’ve never really had a hard time with Father’s Day.

I described it to my friends this way whenever they asked if it was sad growing up without one:

I don’t feel anything. It’s probably like being born without a limb. You can’t miss what you’ve never had.

Now that I’m not a kid any more, I don’t have to lie.

It was sad — because I can never know what it’s like to have a daddy.

A Little Too Strong

I don’t recall the exact question I asked my mom, but I remember her words like it was yesterday.

My mother told me to cope this way: “Just think of yourself as being born without a dad. Some fathers die when babies are born and they grow up just fine.”

I know she meant well. She didn’t want me to stumble. It did make me stronger–a little too strong, maybe. I never felt the pain of a missing father. I felt nothing.

I made a detour around the place inside me that wanted a father. I didn’t think I needed to be vulnerable, held, or carried. To feel this way was a sign of weakness and limitation.

This changed when I became an adult…

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…To read the rest of the story – click here and jump over to Crosswalk.com, where today’s post is published.

It makes a difference that you’re there, when I barista away from here. Share a comment at Crosswalk.com – I’d love your company!

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Photo courtesy of Keefers via Photobucket.