An open letter to my Father...
Knowing you exist is all it will ever be and yet I am grateful for your absence as it taught me how to grieve. Learning to love from afar, to love when it is unrequited. I still love you regardless of the days and years that pass us. In this case, you could have easily been erased and therefore, my love is a choice. Rather than hold onto hurt in spite, I choose to love you for all that you taught me.
Maybe you had to be the first to leave, the one chosen by fate for my most important lesson. When to walk away or fight for someone to stay, when to close or leave the door open. I found my voice, learned to swallow my pride and ask for my needs to be met. When they are not, I know better than to let anyone make me believe I deserve less.
My forgiveness held my hand as I healed and my strength carried me through. I'm not sure I would've learned to love so bravely if it had not been for that arrow to my heart, the one shot by you. That was your role to play, call it essential character development. As much as I wished for you to remain in my life, you had to go for me to grow. We just only see this in hindsight.
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