This little book would be a great Father’s Day gift. A friend of mine self-published it so it’s available through her website ForDaddywithLove.com
Katheryn has collected thirty-five brief stories and essays written by daughters about the impact their fathers had on their lives. Some, like the first story “Night Run” put you into an episode from their lives told as a story with dialogue and setting. These are the most affecting. I found myself moved to tears at the end of “Night Run” in which the father gives his daughter the gift of believing she can run a race despite her mother’s dismissive assessment:
“I sprinted. Away from everything that haunted me. Toward everything I dared to be. I ran like a maniac. My brain couldn’t keep up with my heart.
When I reached our metal mailbox, I wound down to a walk. Bent down from my waist. Breathed in my surroundings. Tasted metal. Coughed.
My father hugged me from behind. Picked me up. Swung me around. ‘I popped the top three buttons from my shirt, I was so proud,’ he told me. ‘You’re a natural. A real runner.’
And, just like that, my brain caught up with my heart.”
Other pieces are more like essays describing their feelings and identifying key moments in their father/daughter lives. Interspersed with the essays and stories are the voices of young girls who wrote a compelling sentence or two about their dads. Not all the fathers had a positive influence. A few got lost in alcohol and left behind the well-being of their girls. But most of these pieces are loving tributes to the ordinary greatness of dads, and all reflect the importance of our fathers in our lives. If you want to give a thought-provoking gift to the dad in your life, this is a good choice.