Her grandparents never let her feel the absence of a father but 20 years later a heartbreaking letter appears
Katy, like many other children, had to face a great trauma as a child, namely, the absence of her father. Of course, the love of her mother and grandparents surrounded her and never let her feel alone, but Katy kept asking about her father for a long time, and wanted to know the reason why all the other children had a father and she did not.
The years passed, and Katy became a young woman and with time seemed, to have forgotten about that man she had never known, but it was not quite like that.
In fact, her mother realized this, when 20 years after her daughter's birth, she found in Katy's room a letter she had written that squeezed her heart.
You cannot imagine how much I wanted to see you, every day more and more, especially now that I am older and I see my friends with a mother and a father, while I have only a mother. I wonder every night why you left me, why you did not want to love me, how come you did not have the courage to take on this responsibility, and why did you prefer to escape leaving me with a certainty that I cannot stop repeating: "I do not have a father."
You cannot even imagine how I feel. You cannot imagine how many times I have needed you and how many times I hated you because you were not there in those moments. But I have learned one thing --- that by hating you, I gain nothing and that is why I am writing you this letter.
For the man, I should have called "dad".
Honestly, I know very little about you. I did not want to bother my mother with questions that could not be answered, because even knowing something about you would not have changed much. Besides, I did it so as not to make her worry because she does not deserve it. She was able to do perform both the roles of father and mother very well, you would be surprised to see.
You will think that I want to avenge myself, that I want to say that you are the worst man and father that could have ever happened to me, but no, that is not what I want. I will not even tell you that you should be ashamed of your lack of love for me. I want to tell you instead that I forgive you, from the bottom of my heart.
I forgive your absence because, in the end, it made me become a strong person, more independent, more stubborn and, obviously, more courageous. I forgive you because even if I needed you, you have never needed me.
There was someone else, besides my mother who filled the void you left behind, that is to say, my grandfather. He was by my side at every important occasion for me and I have always maintained that he was the second-best father option. Having already been a father, it was not difficult for him to educate me, and he did it quite well.
You should know, that he's an exceptional man and he has a huge heart, so big that he never talked badly about you to me. Even though, now that I think about it, he did not speak well of you either, simply because you decided not to be part of our lives. So, what could he say? What should be said about a person who has chosen to be absent? Nothing!
He taught me to be a grateful and kind person and to share what I have with others. He taught me to never stop fighting for my dreams, never give up, and to get up after every defeat and keep smiling. He taught me to be strong and not vulnerable, not to suffer for what I do not deserve, and to recognize and appreciate my worth. Never consider it too much or too little. To simply be me and never stop believing in my own ideals.
Dad, maybe you do not even deserve to be called like that, but I'm not the one who can decide, but life itself, that's why I forgive you! Because by not having known you, I have encountered other personalities. Wonderful people who made me feel loved and never make me feel alone. For example, my grandmother taught me to be a person who respects that which I believe in. She taught me the value of loyalty, towards myself and to those I appreciate. She taught me to be faithful, especially when there are feelings at stake. She taught me to always speak in the name of truth because lying is the worst thing that exists. It was she who reprimanded me and made me understand the value of punishment, and you do not know how much I appreciate it now because I have become a woman, a person who does not harm others and who cares about the wellbeing of those around her.
I forgive you for everything because thanks to what has happened to me, now I know who and what I am --- a good person who strives every day to be better. I have achieved many goals and thanks to them, I have realized that you did not really harm me very much. Since you were not there, I have had the opportunity to understand what kind of man I want, not only by my side but also as the father of the children I hope to have one day and who, I'm sure, will never call you "grandfather".
I forgive you, dad, because your abandonment and the pain that you made me feel, in the end, made me invincible. Thanks to you I have learned to forgive, I learned to forgive you!
You did not crush me with your departure, my life has gone on, it has continued its course, and many wonderful people have become a part of my life and they have taught me the beauty of life. I cannot say that my life has been terrible because you were not there, on the contrary, I have managed to be extremely happy. So you can stay calm, you can continue your life in peace and do not torment yourself for me, because I have forgiven you.
I really hope that your life has turned out well and that you are currently happy, just like me. I forgive you for being the man who gave me life, but who neither raised nor loved me.
Cordially, your daughter.
Katy's words are the same words that many other children would like to write to their absent parent. In fact, her letter could help all of them to overcome what is a great trauma for a child, like that of not knowing anything about the person who gave him or her life.
