Letter to my Dad

Good Morning Everyone

A thought just randomly popped into my head about my dad when i was looking through old pictures of him. Every time i look at these pictures i become very emotional but in a very uplifting way.

I thought of the next time i may see him which could be my birthday, i don't have any interest for the day itself but for just that chance to see my Dad.

I began thinking of what to say to him because i want him to know how much he really does mean to me but this is something i have never even slightly approached him with before. If you know my dad he has lived his life with a strong shield in front of him from his rough child and adulthood but he has a massive heart and always has loved ones best interest.

I have now began to write down memories and just about every moment we have spent together, for i want to write him a letter from the heart. No ego, no barrier to emotions, just written from the heart.

I just want him to know that i appreciate everything he has done for me over the years, all the great times we have had together, how i admire him, make him aware that i love him more than anything and all the times we spent with each other will live in my heart forever.

I wonder why i have suddenly chose to do this as i would never have thought to do this before, i would have just kept this to myself and left these emotions locked away...

Best wishes to you all

Hi, seanssf. That is a lovely idea. I don't think we can ever go "wrong" coming from the heart. Sometimes, people might misunderstand, or get uncomfortable, or shut down, when we do ... but that doesn't mean we are doing something wrong or bad. Just different from what the person on the receiving end is used to.

I think that if the idea came upon you so suddenly, and in your post you sound like you are already drafting that letter up, it would be good to do.

But! What do you think of not giving the letter to him right away? Maybe sitting with it for awhile, see how it feels in your hands first.

Then, if you're still not sure what to do next, imagine yourself giving the letter to him ... see him reading it ... imagine different scenarios of his response to your letter. Do any of those possible scenarios cause you great concern or discomfort?

If so, maybe you might want to first work on unhooking any attachment you have to a specific outcome of him getting the letter. I'm not suggesting this is easy work (for me it wasn't), but it keeps you safe from pain if there's an outcome you weren't expecting.

If you come to feel you can accept whatever response he might have, then it might be a beautiful gift to give him the letter. If not, maybe sit with it some more.

The most powerful thing about letter-writing is it pulls our truth out of ourselves for us to see, and that might just be the exact thing we need without ever sending the letter to its intended recipient.

Keep us posted!

Sounds like the letter will be full of love and goodness. Draft it a few times, then pray/meditate on whether or not to send it.

One thought... would you like your dad to know these things before he dies? You never know if he'll be here another day, a year, or fifty more years.

Also... consider saying some of these things in person. You can gauge his response based on your opening sentence.

Good Luck.

Tom

Hi Raven Poet, thank you for your kind input. I understand what you say as these very thoughts have been playing through my mind. I have thought over and over what he might think of it and when would be the right time to give it to him. I keep saying to myself it doesn't matter though what the outcome may be, it just feels right for him to know even if the outcome isn't what i want. Then again i say, is this letter more a way for me to express my emotions to myself and get them out there rather than sharing with my dad.

I noticed you said it wasn't for you, have you been in a similar situation if you don't mind me asking that is.

I do feel it doesn't matter what response i get, either way i feel the more important thing is for him to know and if he doesn't understand at first maybe one day he'l read it again and respond differently. I don't feel any need to rush this so i will have plenty time to over think what my intentions will be once i have finished

Best wishes

Originally Posted by jillianspapa

Sounds like the letter will be full of love and goodness. Draft it a few times, then pray/meditate on whether or not to send it.

One thought... would you like your dad to know these things before he dies? You never know if he'll be here another day, a year, or fifty more years.

Also... consider saying some of these things in person. You can gauge his response based on your opening sentence.

Good Luck.

Tom

Hi Tom, i will give that a try, i never thought to meditate on this thought so thank you for suggesting that

I have always found it hard to talk to my dad about emotional stuff and that's why we both hide it away from each other. It's as if we have had this guard up and because i have let mine completely down now i now think differently, where as he will still have the same guard up. This is how i feel by expressing myself through this letter it means he can maybe read it a few times before initially responding. I keep adding things to the letter each day so i don't feel any need to finish it soon therefore i can consider all the outcomes