A Letter To The Younger Me

To Joy,
You don’t know it yet, but the man in this photo will become the most important man to ever have entered your life on this earth.  He chose to bring you into his life and give you “his” name and you became “his” eldest daughter.

He made you a better person by teaching you morals and showing you how to be a better person by caring about those around you. He taught you that love means caring about other people and putting their needs beyond your own needs.

He asked for your help with your younger siblings because he had to work two jobs most of his life so he could make sure we grew up with the necessities of life.  He trusted you to make good decisions.

Only days before he died he told you that he wished he had been a better Father to you.  You reached out and touched his hand and told him NOT to ever say that again.  He was the greatest Father you could have ever asked for.  He also told you that he was so proud of you, those were the last words he said to you and it made losing him bearable.

He also mentioned that next time you bring him one of your peach cobblers using “his” mother’s recipe to make sure he is home so he can have more than one bite.  

You will miss him every day for the rest of your life but you are a better person because he chose to bring you into his life.