fathers

You are the first man that I ever loved. You are my hero. Your arms were the first place where I felt so safe and protected. The smile that comes upon your face when you see me makes me feel so cherished and adored.

I wasn't born into a family so much as I was hatched, in the general vicinity of a 20-year-old Minnesota girl with a really bad drinking problem, and the love of her life, a Billy-Dee-Williams-type who committed crimes for a living.

As a father, he was tough and uncompromising. My brothers and I knew that any missteps of ours carried inevitable consequences. But he was also more selfless and thoughtful than anyone I have known.