I didn't know much about my dad as I was growing up. He was always at work or working in the garden. The earliest memories I have of him are not pleasant ones. You see, my mom and dad fought alot, in fact, they fought every day. I am sad to say that when they divorced, I was quite happy to not have to listen to that arguing and sometimes violent outbursts anymore.
I went on with my life, had three daughters as I mentioned before.
One day, I got a call from my dad. I was quite surprised to hear from him. It had been 30 years! He said he wanted to get to know his children. Well, as you can imagine, most of my brothers and sisters said; No way!
I didn't really blame them. Why should we give him our time when he neglected to share his time with us as we were growing up? I don't know what struck my heart, but I decided to say yes, and eventually invited my dad to live with us for a time. I wanted to get to know this man, and I really wanted my children to know their grandpa. I have so many memories to share with you, but, will only share this one with you. The year he spent in our home was one of the most memorable times of my life. I got the chance to know my dad, my papa, and learned that forgiveness is a powerful thing.
Students: this week you will read two blogs and respond to each one by Wednesday, September 21st.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Andrews,
ReplyDeleteYour memory is very touching. I could relate to how you felt when your parents got divorced. My dad was mean to my mom and often yelled at us kids. When my parents divorced, I was only six years old, but I too was relieved that the fighting would end. Later in life, I too was able to forgive my dad for his earlier behavior. I spent some time living with my grandma and realized that my dad was treated pretty poorly as a child. He did his best to be a good dad, but his parents were not the best example for him. I guess that with every generation we grow a little bit more. Thanks for sharing your story. I enjoyed reading it very much.