My First Fathers Day.

In a way, the anticipation of this day had been building for a few weeks.  I wasn't sure how it would feel....you know, being a father on this day....considering I have yet to meet my son....who lives over 6,600 miles away in Seoul, South Korea.

You see I understand I am a father.  I identify with it.  I have this bond with my son....which he could never understand, and truthfully, I don't completely understand myself.  I haven't had the opportunity to be the traditional father figure, to get on the floor and play with him, to feed him, to hold him when he isn't feeling or sleeping well.  When we chose to adopt our son, this process is what we knew we were signing up for.  There is nothing you can do to prepare yourself for the emotions which come from missing some of these little moments....so you take them as they come....and you learn to appreciate the beauty within this process.

Jennifer, my wife and mother of Makaio, did everything within her power to make this day one of the most beautiful in recent memory.  She reached out to all of the fathers in my life....some family, some friends, some mentors, and all men I respect as fathers.  And what came of this, was the most beautiful and perfect gift I could ever ask for.

I opened this book to the first page.....attached was a note from my mothers husband........In our own way, he is my adopted father and I am his adopted son.  I have looked to him for more than 10 years for spiritual guidance, emotional support, and an example of what a good man should look like.  He always has the words I need to hear, right when I need to hear them.

My Fathers Day gift from Jen

Second page..... Justin Presley....and I continue to turn the pages....Robert McDown, Steve Malone, David Votava, Will Fagundes, Shane Johnson, Brian Rawls, Shawn Stowers, Justin Berst, and Jason Perry.

I'm not going to lie.....I broke down for a minute and had to take a moment to get it together.

Each of these men...all wonderful fathers.......all men I respect and admire.....had taken the time to send my wife personal letters and words of encouragement for me to utilize as a father.  It truly was amazing to flip through page after page of beautiful script.

Inspiration

In this moment I realized not only how lucky I was to have Makaio as my son, but I realized how lucky the children of each of these men were to have them as fathers. The world is full of special Dads.

So on this first Fathers Day, I would like my little guy to know he has a father that loves him so much....he has many people back home that love him so much, and thanks to all of those dads that took the time to respond to Jen's request, I am now more inspired, motivated, and prepared to be your Dad!

And to my wife......I love you so much.  Thank you for being amazing!

Gift from Mom and Dad

Makaio 3/6/12