Changing Ourselves For The Better
By Darryl Duke. Filed in Living |Tags: becoming a better parent, changing ourselves for the better, fathers day, forgiveness, gratefulness
Since it’s Fathers Day I thought I would write how grateful I am for being a better father now than I was when my children were growing up. I wasn’t a mean dad or anything and always told both my son and daughter that I loved them, but I can’t deny the fact that I wasn’t there for them nearly as much as I should have been or the best role model for them. The bottom line is that I never knew how to be a parent or a role model until several years into my sobriety. It came about by me changing as a person through those years and although it took my son a little longer than my daughter to forgive the old dad and adjust to the new one, the payoff is having a good relationship with both of them today. My son isn’t the emotional type, but I know he has forgiven me and loves the father I have become. And I know my daughter loves the father I have become because she trusts me with the grandchild she gave me over 4 years ago. But if there is one thing that first showed me she had forgiven me and that I had indeed changed for the better, it would be this poem she wrote for me in 2003.
If you taught me just one thing
It is to love with all you have
But you taught me so much more
Through the good times and the bad
You showed me how to feel
Or at least passed this along
Even when I felt pain
You taught me to hold on
You proved that anyone can change
If you look within yourself
Even if you are feeling lonely
There is no need for someone else
You see the good in people
And have no tolerance for hate
I keep this in mind wherever I go
Even if I am always late
Genes have given me your sense of humor
I am goofy just like you
But you have made me realize
I can laugh at myself, too
There is no shame in crying
But self-pity is a waste of time
You and I have learned together
The power of the mind
You encourage me to believe
In more than just this life
Even when things look all gray
I know it will soon be all right
You are aware of your past
And have learned from your mistakes
You have taken your weaknesses
And turned them into strengths
You have shown me how to face your fears
And always tell the truth
Everyday heroes do exist
And you are living proof
The times when you thought you had failed
The times when you didn’t know what to do
These are the moments you had no idea
That I would learn so much from you
