Two Father's Day Cards

Today I'm mailing Father's Day Cards. One to my adoptive father, my dad, who is currently spending some much-needed vacation time in the Cascade mountains of Washington state. Then, later, guilt made me stop by the drug store and get a second card.

I am adopted and reunited with my birth parents 17 years ago. I don't remain in contact with Birth Mother. It was a hard relationship to forge. She had so much baggage from the past, it seemed.

But I've remained in contact with Birth Father. He and Birth Mother were High School sweethearts who never married. He has been married for over 35 years and never had any other children. I have a pretty good relationship with Birth Father and his wife. I'm having a harder time with the obligations that they keep suggesting that I must meet. For example, Birth Father's wife recently celebrated a milestone birthday, they were angry that I didn't drive 7 hours to help them celebrate. I feel like my primary responsibilities of two grade-school aged children (that I'm raising alone) and a full-time call at a busy, growing church are about all I can bear most days. My needs are rarely met each day, let alone the needs that Birth Father and his wife seems to have.

But, yet, I'm grateful to know him. Grateful for the emotional closure that I felt in reuniting with Birth Father; glad to know more of who I am because he welcomed me back into his life. So today I found a card with butterflies on the front (re-birth) that simply says, "For everything...you are wished happiness...Happy Father's Day." Thank you, Hallmark.

I may not be able to be the daughter he always dreamed that I would be and I may feel stressed with all my obligations...but I wish both of my fathers joy and peace. In the end, I thank God for the opportunity to be able to send out two Father's Day cards.