The Journey of a Survivor

Dr. Grohol, thanks for sharing your thoughts and feelings about your dad. You have brightened my day by reminding me how very fortunate I am to have a wonderful and loving relationship with my dad. Whenever we are together, we can’t help but smile, hug and hold hands—the words “I love you” are constantly shared with each other. He makes me feel special—I’m his girl and that means the world to me.

We did not meet until I was a teen and technically he is my step-dad, but in some ways that makes our relationship even more special because we decided to love each other as father—daughter. That’s one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.

I was a very troubled teen and I caused him a lot of worry and heartache. But, no matter how “bad” I was he always respected me and never once stopped sharing his love. It was his unwavering faith in me that taught me to believe in myself.

As I think back on it, I know that the hardest part for him was not the trouble I caused him—it was his pain of watching me be so self-destructive that hurt him the most. When I was in the hospital from a drug overdose, he held my hand and cried and told me he loved me. That was the first time a man had ever cried for me.

A couple years ago I realized that he is getting older and for the first time it hit me that there will be a time when we will have to say goodbye. I try not to think about the pain that will cause me but I also remind myself that it will be a pain that can only come from love. Until then, I want to take advantage of every single opportunity I have to be with him.

I am thankful for my dad too.