To my father:

Thank you for abandoning me when I was young. By being a coward and eluding your responsibilities, you freed me from inheriting your self destructive tendencies and allowed me to become myself.

Thank you for the child support checks never sent. By denying our family the money that would have given us a better lifestyle, you caused me to develop a solid work ethic by working to bring more income into the family as early as I could so that by the time I became an adult it was pretty much ingrained.

Thank you for all of the verbal abuse and indirect physical abuse. Every blow, every insult, every harsh word made me stronger and better able to face up against a cruel world.

Thank you for denying me comfort and a listening ear. By refusing to be there for me, you taught me to stand alone, a skill that has come to help me to become a better person.

Thank you for your hate. By hating me, you taught me what it means to love unconditionally, as I always loved you in spite of it all.

Thank you for providing me with a thousand examples of what a father shouldn't be. By doing the opposite, it has helped me to learn how to be what a father should be so that my kids will have loving memories.

Happy Father's Day. And may my children never live to write these words.