As a mother, I write about Father’s Day, remembering my children’s father.
I am a mother because of him. If not for him, I would not have my precious children.
Robert Julien was a great father.
He shopped. He carpooled.
He cooked. He barbecued.
He played ball and went to all my children’s games.
He made sure that they were never short on cash.
He called them everyday.
My children knew he loved them.
After my daughter, Michelle, passed, he grieved intensely in his own way.
He kept his feelings to himself. He stopped taking care of himself. He smoked, ate more, and gained a lot of weight. He was the only other person who suffered as deeply as I did.
Every June, I honor the kind, caring, loving father he was. He would have been a great grandfather. I’m sad he didn’t get to experience that and to see what wonderful parents his children are. My son is the father he is today because of him.
After he passed, I found a form for jury duty tucked between the pages of a book. There were lines included for the ages of his children. Next to our daughter, Michelle’s name, he wrote “eternal”.
My thoughts go out to fathers everywhere. You never stop being a father. Your children are always your children. And a father is always a father, always loved, always cherished.
