Thank You To My Lisa For Father’s Day

I know this day is supposed to be in honor of me as a father.

The truth is I owe a debt of gratitude to Lisa for this Father’s Day and the last 11 I have spent blessed by the miracle of fatherhood.

I can’t ever hope to repay that debt.

The sacrifices Lisa made to her physical comfort and sanity during the six years it took us to bring Elliana into this world still humble me.

On those dark days when I was convinced the best thing she could do was find a fertile guy she always  told me she wanted a baby because she wanted a part of me to live on in a baby made from our love

Even if that baby was made in a petri dish.

The other thing Lisa wanted was to see my eyes in our child.

It still freaks me out how much Elliana’s eyes look like mine.

Elliana got her mama’s beauty and strong stubborn will.

And her daddy’s eyes.

Seeing myself reflected in the loving eyes of my daughter is something I can’t get enough of.

I thank God this Father’s Day for giving me the blessing of a woman who knew that fatherhood would complete me as a person.

Before I met Lisa I envisioned myself as the loner dude never finding a soulmate.

I figured I’d be sitting around some smoky bar talking about the life I would never have.

I’d be the cool uncle to nephews and friend’s kids, the fun guy to play with at the party, but the guy everyone kind of felt sorry for when he left to go home to an empty house.

Things didn’t work out that way.

For over two decades I’ve been a husband, a lover and a best friend.

For last 10 years I’ve been a dad.

My life wasn’t supposed to be like this.

Thank God it is.