Standing Up

On Father’s Day we were sitting in Church, at the back, when the pastor asked all the dad’s and dad’s-to-be to stand in recognition. As the men stood up, Karson turned to me and whispered, “Mom. Could I stand up too? For daddy?” A little boy a third the size of the men around him, standing in the place of his missing father. I noticed his little legs were shaking, as though he was almost afraid people would notice, but it was too important to him to let this moment pass without declaring that he too had a dad; a dad who loved him, a dad who should have been there, a dad he was proud of.

It summed up everything I was feeling that day.

The are moments when the most vital thing in our hearts is to honor the person who is not there. It says, "I acknowledge that I am who I am in part because of who they were." It says, "I acknowledge that every person is placed on this earth for a reason, whether they are known by many or by few." It says, "I acknowledge that one day, I too will be missing. I too will no longer be accessible. I too will want to missed."

A little boy in a sea of men.

A little boy standing his ground.

A little boy saying the best he could, "Daddy, I love you."