Momma and Papa

When I was twelve years old, I got the very best present in the world, my Papa.  He didn’t come exactly on my birthday. I don’t even remember the exact day, but when he came in to my Mom’s life. He made sure she was in mine again. We finish each other’s sentences. And if you see a picture of the two of us, it is hard not to see his face in mine.

He became my Papa and has been a father to me for twenty-four years.  He has never played Papa, he has been Papa. He dropped me off in college and moved me to Florida when I was done. He has come to my rescue and been tough on me when I needed it.  There aren’t a lot of men like him in the world. Not only because he took on my crazy family and made it his own, but because well, there is not one really like him.  He is really and truly one of those people that you have to meet to understand.

Papa hasn’t had an easy life. He was born to a single mother in the 1940’s and grew up in poverty.  He has however tried to do his best to make my Mom’s life easy and happy. Momma and Papa are like twin suns in the universe that is my family. The world just isn’t right if one of them isn’t shining.

Happy Birthday Papa, may your light shine for many, many years to come.