Today, on Father's Day, I thought it would be nice to reflect on how our fathers shaped our lives.
My dad wasn't perfect, of course. He was a Republican, and very old fashioned, and for many years I knew I was a disappointment to him. See, he thought women should be docile and sweet, and their greatest value was in the kind of man they were able to marry.
We spent many years fighting, and at one point I even threw in the towel on trying to have a relationship. I'd rarely visit, and when I did, they were tense. It was my brothers who told me how much it hurt my father, and made him take a look at his part in our estragement.
There was a small family crisis that brought us together, and from then on, both my dad and I realized how important we were to each other. And how much love there was.
For the last nine years of his life, we had the most wonderful relationship a father and daughter could have, and I will be forever grateful for what he taught me. Strength of character, a love of intellect, and the ability to change oneself out of love.
Do you have a story about your father?
Please share with us. And Happy Father's Day to all you Dad's!