11 years.
To say that I was surprised 11 years and 9 months ago would be an understatement.
To say that I was unprepared would be incomplete.
I didn’t know how. I didn’t understand what it meant. I didn’t grasp how I could possibly do this job… the most important job… being your dad.
And then you came.
Everything changed.
Through you, I found purpose.
Through you, I discovered clarity.
It’s not always been perfect, nor will it ever be. But I can promise that for 11 years to the date and for as many years into the future as I get with you, I will work to live to be a better man tomorrow than I was today. Because that is what you deserve… the absolute best of me.
I understand that change is the only true constant and that as you enter this next season of your life the change will be abundant.
I don’t know what it will look like 1 year from now, nor do I want to… the gift with you is not in the destination, but in the journey.
In you, I see the hopeful future that somewhere deep down we all desire. Thank you, Zoey… you are a light in a world that needs illumination.
From you dad,
Joey
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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Photo credit: Annie Spratt on Unsplash