A long time ago a little baby girl was born. She was gorgeous, but not quite done yet, so when her parents brought her home they had to put her in an easy bake oven and flip her over every so often. She emerged like a beautiful butterfly out of a cocoon. She grew up and was the best friend to my daughter, and was so much a part of my life that I have always called her my “other” daughter. Unfortunately for dads, daughters grow up, and she did too. One day she brought home this goofy fellow who always seemed to be smiling. Apparently, for reasons only she can say, she fell in love with him. I was completely prepared to go all good cop – bad cop on his ass and tag team work him over with her “other” dad, but no matter how much grief I tried to give this young man he just smiled and kept on loving her. I was afforded a tremendous honor one day when I was asked to officiate at their wedding. Scariest thing I have ever done. Mine you – I have jumped out of planes and dove with sharks – this topped that. The young couple was absolutely and completely disgustingly in love. This young man seemed to radiate with light and energy and was just so horribly nice and pleasant that you just wanted to punch him in the face, but could not help but like him. So he married my “other” daughter and they began what appeared to be a textbook, hot apple pie, sugar plum and fairies marriage. This young man made my “other” daughter positively glow with her love for him. One day, as if these two weren’t nauseatingly cutesy enough they had to go and have a blonde haired, blue eyed daughter who was so precious and sweet that people would get diabetes just from holding her. They continued their onslaught of sickening perfection by adding to this Norman Rockwell painting a precious little boy.
Earlier this week I received a text message.
A semi-truck driver driving down a back country highway veered across the median and in a second changed my “other” daughter’s life in an unimaginable way. My “other” daughter’s perfect life was shattered by the loss of her incredible husband and two beautiful children in a senseless car wreck.
I heard something the other day on a TV show of all places which I found quite profound. One man was talking to another man who had just lost the love of his life in a shooting. The first man told the other that you never get over it, you simply move though life. He said that every day when you will wake up the first thing you will think of is your loss – but then one day – it will be the second.
I know it is impossible to believe at this point, but time will pass, and the sun will shine again one day. It may only be a single solitary beam of light at first, but it will shine.
Love your “Other” Dad
