Found My Dad

[KittenAB]

I don't think I mentioned it here, but I disowned my mother and her family, as well as everyone else from my immediate family .... except my dad. He was just an awesome dad really. Anyhow, he's a traveller, he loves to travel around living in different states and cities, so I lost touch with him. He had recently moved back to Washington and low and behold put up a website I stumbled on one day searching for graphics images of houses (3D texture mapping) ... figures that he'd become a home decorator. Anyhow, he's happy we finally got in touch, which I was not surprised about. He was the only immediate family member who has ever truly been supportive of me, and oddly the only other one to break free from the christian religious fanaticism the rest of my family (and my mother's whole family) is well known for. When I first chose to stop going to church (at about 13) he also stopped and took me fishing, boating, or just to hang out with friends while the rest went and wasted their time on Sundays. He was also the one who actually encouraged me to keep up with computer technology back when everyone was saying "computers are just a fad." The last time I saw him, he said he was proud of me for many things ... he never specified what but that has always given me the strength to keep going in life, so getting back in touch with him just has me dizzy right now. After years of pretty much living in hell itself (homelessness, illness, etc) ... everything then stabilising but feeling like I was in a rut ... finally something to make me truly happy has happened.

Just thought I'd share.

PS: My dad knows EVERYTHING about me, he actually knew before I knew and protected me from my mother when I was growing up, allowing me to explore my own life. I owe him a lot, yet he never asks for anything in return.

[DailyDi]

Sounds like a great guy! Glad you got back in touch with him.

[diaperpt]

What a great thing to be able to share. It has to be so hard to split away from family - even when they've been so negative and bad for you. The feelings have to be very confused and mixed and then, feeling alone. And yet this sort of thing is soooo necessary for some. I'm glad you had the strength and courage to do that.

Personally I wish you'd had a better experience with religion, but there is much negative, bad stuff out there. That isn't how I read the Bible, but you've had a bad experience and what you believe comes from that. You are who you are and you'll believe what you believe. I won't try to interject my faith because this isn't about that. Religion should NOT be about bashing people - it's about love, acceptance and relationship. You and your Dad escaped a religion that failed you and had each other for that love, acceptance and relationship.

I'm happy that you've rediscovered your Dad, who was so positive for you. I hope that whether you can maintain a physical proximity, you can keep in touch at least and be close in that way. We all need to be affirmed in some way - gosh - to an extent aren't a lot (not all) of us here for just that reason? It's so great that you have at least one close family member who loves you for who you are and doesn't expect you to be something they imagine.

Hooray for you, Kitten!

[Bettypooh]

So sweet I'm glad to hear the news and hope you can make up for lost time (and make sure to be able to stay in touch from here on)

Bettypooh

[square_duck]

PS: My dad knows EVERYTHING about me, he actually knew before I knew and protected me from my mother when I was growing up, allowing me to explore my own life. I owe him a lot, yet he never asks for anything in return.

I cannot tell you how absolutely A*W*E*S*O*M*E this is to read! There need to be a gazillion more people like this in the fricking world. My 'father' and 'older brother' both look(ed) down on both me and my younger brother, like we were / are some kind of weird bug or something, and there for their own service ( I use quotes on those labels because both of them totally failed in these assigned rolls) if my 'dad' ever did anything 'nice' there was always a price tag that went along with it. My 'dad' abused his power or what ever he had, abused my Mom because he wanted her money, and my older 'brother' now does the same thing, and is known as a "litigious bully' in legal circles. He runs off to his lawyer at the drop of a hat to get his way...he works 'on' people instead of working 'with' them for a common cause, it's really disgusting. I, like you, am at the point of just telling him to take a hike, and that I never want to see or hear from him or his 'family' or anyone else associated with him again.

In contrast, like you, I have been accepted by my Aunt and Uncle, who are wonderful people (even thogh devoutly religious, but they don't use religion as others do , as a tool for power etc) and accept me for who I am, even though they don't know about "this side" of me, but, I imagine at this stage of the game they probably wouldn't mind.

The point being is the contrast between being ignored and neglected and abused to being accepted, loved and cared about. It's a 180 and it really makes your head spin. People that do something for the sake of doing it, and getting it done and ask nothing in return are awesome. There are altruistic people around, and they help make the world a better place. This is also part of being a good parent and roll model, in my opinion anyways.

Your dad needs to be held up and praised for being a great guy, a positive roll model and loving person. They should have a parade for these kind of people and be able to put them somewhere where others can see what they do and say "I want to be like that"

He's someone to look up to and admire.....and I envie you, in that you have that one person who accepts you as YOU and that is all....

Just totally AWEOME!

Congratulations...hang on to him and I hope you 2 have a long relationship and future together

[nhdl]

Congratulations on finding your dad. Sounds liike an awesome person ahd a stand up guy.

[KittenAB]

Thanks you all, yeah, my dad is a great person. I'm still giddy about finding him again finally.