A Fatherless Father’s Day
Father’s Day is another day of the year that is intended to be a time of happiness and to bring families together, but instead, it can be a reminder of loss or sadness. For those who have lost a father or fathers who have lost a child, this can be a very difficult time. For some of us, our father is who helped shape and form us into who we are today. And for others that never really had closeness with their father, they may mourn that relationship that they never had.
A father may not necessarily be a blood relative. For some, it may be a stepfather, an uncle, or another male figure that has helped shape you into the person you are. A father is someone loves unconditionally, teaches, mentors, listens, provides peace and comfort, and is a provider for his family. Father’s Day is a time of gift giving, sharing cards, and showing this person how much they mean to you.
It can be helpful to talk about and share memories of the father in your life and not silence them. Sharing these and speaking of them can bring a smile and laughter which can help bring you a sense of peace. Don’t avoid the sadness. It is normal to feel sad. Talking about it with others who have gone through something similar may also be helpful.
Looking back through old pictures may also bring back memories of a happier time with your father. Or, for father’s that have lost a child possibly due to an illness, looking back at pictures may bring back memories of a happier time when the child was not sick.
For those who were never close to their biological father, you may have another relative or male figure in your life that has been your mentor and has been that father figure. And to those fathers, you mean and have meant just as much to them as they mean to you and Father’s Day is a day to celebrate them in a special way.
It is essential for you to find what helps you during the grieving process. It will be different for everyone.
And for those of us that still have our fathers or the special men in our life, we need to pour into them this Father’s Day, because we will not have them forever.
-Sarah Driskell
