Dear Dad,
I’ve been on my own for a while now, and I wanted to take a
moment to stay in touch. Though we are far apart, you at home and me here, I
needed to say that you are still important to me. I can’t see you all the time
now, but I think of you every day, and the distance between us doesn’t change
the love and respect I have for you. I owe you so much.
Things are rough out here. This isn’t like home. Some days I
let that surprise or upset me more than I should. You taught me from my youth
how things were away from the family. You also taught me that this was where I
needed to be. You taught that there were so many people here that didn’t even
know where to look for hope or peace or love, much less find it, that it was up
to our family to come and point the way. It was up to us to follow your
example. Mostly, it was up to me.
I’m thankful for all that you taught growing up, things like
persistence, hard work, honesty. They have helped me to make a living and keep
going in good times and bad. And I thank you for the care packages you send,
the provisions that arrive just when I need them the most. You always know.
I know that I haven’t always been a good son to you.
Sometimes I’ve tried, and failed. Sometimes I haven’t really tried. That’s the
worst of it. No, the worst of it is I know in my heart that you know the truth
of all those times and let me deal with it in the hopes that I would learn. My
hope is that I do learn, Dad, that I learn each day to be more like you. I need
your help, though.
As I said, things are rough out here. I’m hanging on the
best way I know how, but there are some days that I just don’t know how I’m
going to make it. And I keep thinking that it would be so easy to take a few “shortcuts”
here and there, just until things lighten up a bit. And in the back of my mind,
or deep in my heart, I can hear you whispering a gentle warning “No, not that way,”
and I know you’re right but it’s just really hard sometimes.
I’m asking you to help me out, Dad. I know that you’ve got
people working everywhere in jobs I can’t even imagine. I know the time is past
for you to treat me like a child and make all of my decisions. I guess that I
am just praying that you’ll have some workers in the right place to help me
avoid some of the worst mistakes I might make, kind of keep me on the path,
shepherd me through the low points.
I’m asking for help in getting past the worst of me, so I
can be more like You. I’m asking for that because no one has ever shown me
anything better than that. I can’t think of anything better than that, and I
don’t think I ever will.
All my love,
Your son
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