“He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.” ~ Clarence Budington Kelland

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

Since my daddy left when I was seven, I had 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 a 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.”

She didn’t want my loss to be an excuse to stumble.  It did make me stronger.  A little too strong maybe.  I never felt the pain of a missing father.  I felt nothing.

But, it wasn’t true. I simply made a detour around the place inside 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.

Why long for something I could never had? that’s what I told myself. I incorrectly believed that to question my situation was a sign of mistrusting God’s plan for me.

But, in recent years God has gently been bringing me back to this place of longing — and I’ve discovered that…

… (to be continued)

…To read the rest of “Is Father’s Day Worth Celebrating Without a Daddy?”, click here and join me over at DaySpring’s (in)courage site, where today’s post is published.

Pause. Get soul refreshed.  Join me there.  I’d love your company.