Run your own race,baby. He could have said it a dozen other ways. “Be independent.” “Don’t be influenced by others.” But it wouldn’t have been the same. The words he chose touched my heart and have remained with me all through my life. Whenever I’m at a crossroads, I ask myself, “Am I running my race or somebody else’s?” What a gift he gave me. Marlo Thomas on her Dad Danny Thomas' advice to her.
This Father's Day weekend is not my first without my Father but like every year at this time I try to keep the mascara from going by hugging the memories and opening his gifts to me.
I am a "Daddy's Girl" and that is a label I wear proudly. There are a lot of negative connotations with that phrase..spoiled, princess, indulged...but for me it symbolizes not only the unbreakable bond between a Father and Daughter but also the foundation upon which I stand every day.
We lost my Dad suddenly. After the shock wore off, and the numbness set in, I felt as if I were living without a safety net, I still have days I feel that way. It took some time to realize that Daddy had left me many gifts, the most important perhaps being that I would always have firm ground beneath my feet because of the lessons he taught me and the love that guided me and helped me grow.
How very lucky I am to know that being a “Daddy’s Girl” means that I carry the gift of unconditional love with me wherever life takes me. That love has taught me to believe in myself and my strengths, and to know that I CAN “run my own race”- even when I have trouble finding the track. My Father taught me to trust my instincts, believe that there is nothing I can’t accomplish and that the worst thing I could do would be to sit on the sidelines and not try!
On the days when I think…”There is NO way!” I hear Daddy saying “just try”. Happy Father’s Day Daddy…Thank you for my many gifts. Oh how I wish you were here to watch me run my race. I love you.
