Left Out

Dear Daughter,

Thank you for the Father's Day greetings today. For some reason, in all of Belgium, it is Father's Day today, but not in Antwerp, leaving it out of the calendar for this day.

However, you said that you were "glad that I am your Papa," to which I responded that "I am glad that I have you as a daughter, because, otherwise, I wouldn't be a Papa."

The worlds of children and parents are intertwined and entangled, sometimes things are for the better, sometimes things can be rather for the worse, but we remain parents and children all of our lives, no matter what the circumstances.

Yesterday, when you saw a flower blooming on our vine in the courtyard, you whispered, "I wish I could just cut one off for Papa." I "heard" you, but asked what did you say. You answered, "Nothing, Papa, but you can't look at me for a little bit." In the interim, I held my hands over my eyes and heard lots of shuffling and you talking to yourself, guiding yourself through the process.

Then, you asked me to look, and taking away my hands from my eyes, here is what I saw:

This was the best Father's Day gift I could ever ask for, even if it wasn't for Father's Day.

I Love You,
Papa