Brian Pruitt
For Sports Scene
Over the years, I have heard thousands of stories from youth across the country regarding their relationships with their fathers. Some of those stories were good and some were bad.
The following story was written and mailed to me by a young lady who was longing for the love of her father. Her father’s prison sentence turned her life into a painful existence. I hope this letter speaks to your heart as much as it spoke to mine. In her letter, you hear the cry of a generation for the love of their fathers.
Dear Wes (Dad),
I can remember waiting for you to come home, but you didn’t. I felt abandoned and confused. I wasn’t sure if I would ever see you again and it tore me up inside. I can remember visiting you in jail and eventually the visits stopped and I felt as though a part of me was missing. Whenever I would see a daughter and a dad together I would wonder what it would be like to have you around.
I am angry with you because the poor choices you made drastically affected my life. While you are the one that is in prison, I feel that I am serving a prison sentence with you. I have built up walls and I let no one get close to me because I am afraid that they will hurt me as much as you have.
Even now, I am afraid that I will marry someone just like you and they will end up leaving me. Often, I don’t even feel like I know who I really am. I feel like I am being pushed towards other people to find the fatherly love that I never felt from you. You’re supposed to be my hero and protector; you have failed me as a father.
Due to my relationship with God, I have learned to forgive and to love you. Believe it our not, I still want you to be a part of my life.
Your Daughter K.E.E.