Dear Dad....

My husband is named for a man who never played much of a role in his life. That father died last year. My husband learned the news months after the fact. It was the official end of a relationship that never really existed. 

When he learned I was pregnant with a son, well, he screamed so loud that several doctors came running. He was overcome with joy. This would be his chance to have the father/son relationship he never had. For this, his first Father's Day, I wrote him a letter expressing all the things I believe our son would say if he could. A funny thing about words, I think he loved that framed letter more than any of the other fancy treats he received today.

Dear Dad,

So happy to finally meet you! I can still hear the loud scream you made when you found out I would be a little boy. Man you were loud but I remember thinking, “This dude is a riot.” I couldn’t wait to meet you.

So here I am and it’s been an awesome journey in just 8 short months. I’ve already learned so much from you — that Family Guy rocks, that I can only eat pork and beef when I’m with mom, that I can only date ladies with ambition and good GPAs, but most importantly, that I can be anything I want to be and you’ll be there every step of the way to guide me. You’re the  greatest dad  a little guy like me could ask for, and since you couldn’t hear my response to your scream that morning, I said: “That’s my crazy dad!”

Happy Father’s Day.  Love Xavier.