Below I am attaching a picture of me and both fathers on the night of my graduation from Boone County High School, May 27/28, 2004. My biological father (Larry) is behind me, while my stepdad (Stephen) is at right (or to my left).
So why are both my stepdad and my biological dad important? Let's deal with the latter first.
My biological dad...well, obviously he's one of the two people who gave me life. (The other being my mother.) He is also, although I place NO BLAME for this on him, the reason I am disabled. His sacrifice in Vietnam exposed him to Agent Orange - which was later found to cause Spina Bifida, which yours truly was born with and deals with to this day.
Besides that, he really taught me a couple things. He taught me patience, for one. He was around less for about 10 years of my life. I knew he didn't walk out of my life - and so I was willing to wait as long as needed. Eventually, by the time the above picture was taken, we got along better than we ever had. Still do to this day. (An aside: Today I am headed up to Hamilton, Ohio to see him.)
As for my stepdad. He was the one that stepped in and was the father figure to me from 1989 to this very day. He did his best to keep me on the straight and narrow, and I think he succeeded. He certainly has done his best for everybody here. He too was instrumental in me learning patience. Do I still struggle? Absolutely - but who doesn't? I also got my love of Huey Lewis and the News, funny comedy, and yes, Kentucky Basketball from him. I think I got lucky he stepped in.
That relationship wasn't without its downsides - and we've had a few fights. Some have led to us not speaking for a day or so. But...you can't stay mad forever. So it is with me and my stepdad.
That would be why I love my stepdad and biological dad.
Courage + Belief = LIFE
1 comment:
happy father's day to your dads j mo!!!
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