My father was hardly part of my life for drugs and addiction enslaved him,
and before long cancer became his freedom song.
when the song came to an end,
he was finally laid to rest,
and my journey without a father began.
life became my teacher,
and circumstances my test subjects.
but as the years progressed life became too hard.
the struggle,
the pain,
and the grief of losing not only my mother,
but now my father too;
it became too much to bear.
before I can throw in the towel and give up,
God intervened.
He did away with the old me,
and gave me a fresh start.
He became my instructor,
the bible my curriculum,
His unfailing love my major,
and prayers were my study sessions.
what God has done thus far life's lessons could not even fathom the possibilities,
and what life taught me my father could not for he gave up too soon;
but the one thing he did teach me spoke volumes without the use of words.
he taught me not to become like him.
to not allow his mistakes be the error of my ways,
to use the talents passed down to me its fullest potential,
and let nothing stop me of fulfilling my dreams.
not family,
not friends,
not addictions,
and most of all not myself.
he taught me to never give up,
never surrender,
and persevere;
and know that my latter will be greater than my past.
his life was a future of no tomorrow,
a future void of happiness,
a future that could've been mine if i hadn't accepted Christ as my savior.
I'll keep my unspoken promise by becoming the man you dreamed of when you welcomed me into this world.
my life is your testimony for I live not only for me, but for you and mother as well.
this is my gift to you for being a wonderful father.
the lesson you taught me will forever be cherished.
i love you with every once of my being,
and you will never be forgotten.