“No one really talks much about the fathers who didn’t have great fathers to raise them, nor to look up to.
My husband is one of those men.
A father himself to our three children, but was never ‘fathered’ so to speak.
After having had a broken relationship with his father for so many years on and off, this past year it’s really taken a toll on him; you could say he reached his breaking point.
I know my husband to usually have a temper; he’s a rolling fireball when he’s hurting.
Lately, however, something has changed.
I’ve witnessed his hurt turn into beauty.
I’ve seen him show up for his children in ways he never has before.
He was an amazing father before, but now, there’s just something different and special to his ways with them somehow.
I’ve experienced his presence.
I’ve seen his persisting dedication.
I’ve seen him take all this deep loss that’s been brewing inside of him for years and turn it into love.
He has so much love to give and he’s giving it so freely, to anyone and everyone, despite the lack of love he received.
I have seen my husband grieve his living father by loving his own children in ways he only dreamed of being loved.
You see, we all need to be loved no matter how old we get.
The pain of our past lives can grow with us and daunt us years and years down the road.
But being able to take all the maltreatment and affliction and turn it into this deep well of ever-giving love? This is a victory.
Of course, the love and acceptance he should have received from his father cannot be replaced with anyone’s love, but all I can say about that is this: life works in mysterious ways.
He came from a broken home, and as a result, he has built a nurturing, loving, and peaceful home for his own children.
He is the best father to our children and they are very lucky to have him.
Our gain is his father’s loss.
And if this doesn’t deserve recognition on Father’s Day and every other day of the year, I don’t know what does.
This goes to prove that you don’t have to have a great example growing up to be an exemplary father.
We are all capable of giving love, you just have to be willing.
Happy Father’s Day, my love.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Suka Nasrallah. You can follow her journey on Facebook. You can purchase her book, Unfiltered Truths of Motherhood: Captive & Captivated, here. Submit your own story here, and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
Read more from Suka here:
‘He is our backbone. His words comfort like a warm blanket. He tells me it will be okay, even when he knows it may not.’: Woman shares ode to ‘present’ fathers
Please Stop Judging Women For Complaining About Motherhood
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