In some ways, I count myself lucky. I had two dads.
I never met my birth father. He died in prison before I even knew who
he was. I later met the rest of his family, and learned that he was a
murderer, a drug addict, and an alcoholic. I do not hold these things
against him. I honestly believe that he desired to be a father to me,
if he had been given the chance. But he wasn't given that chance, and
things turned out differently.
My other father is my adopted father. He cared enough to choose me
from amongst many others, to raise me in what he believed to be the
right way, to provide as best he could. He is ill now, and the same
age as Mickey Mouse. I learned a lot from him, despite his
shortcomings.
When I became a father, I was able to look back on the lessons my
adopted father tried to teach me, and see them from a different
perspective. I realized that dads are not perfect. But I also realized
that we have fathers by birth, and fathers whom WE adopt into our
lives. And in that sense, I have many fathers. I do not say this to
diminish the role my two fathers played in my life. I learned from
both of them, and I know that each of them cared for me. But I also
know that I will always have fathers in my life who will care for me.
