Every year around this time, a group of us are reminded of our absent fathers. Whether we want to admit that it hurts or not, we must recognize the reality of the situation, but use it to our advantage. Whether it's actually Father's Day, or just any old day of the week, I hope this letter helps to change that grudge into gratitude. Trust me, it is truly freeing.

Dear “Dad,”

Should I call you that? I wonder if you think about me, at least on this day? To make light of an otherwise uncomfortable time, I’d actually like to thank you, yes you. I should probably be signing that card with the monkey dressed in a tie on the front right about now, but instead I have decided to sign this letter of gratitude. I need you to know, especially during this time, how truly thankful I am for you, despite everything. Don't worry, I'll make this short and sweet.

• Thank you for being absent. Maybe you realized what I couldn’t: the life we could have had together isn’t as good as the one we have apart.
• Thank you for showing me what I will want and need in a future husband.
• Thank you for showing me that a broken family is actually still whole.
• Thank you for bringing me closer to my sister and mom.
• Thank you for giving me the chance to see that a woman alone is capable of everything a man is.
• Thank you for giving me insecurities that have made me a tough and self-assertive person.
• Thank you for letting me create you in my mind. I’d like to think the double agent, disease curing, animal saving super hero I’ve made you out to be is really you.
• Thank you for giving me this annual reminder. That I have come this far without you and, everyday, that has only made me a stronger person.

Occasionally I wonder what life would have been like as a daddy’s girl, but that just wasn’t in the cards for us, and that’s okay. So please, do not worry about me because I am doing well. Every day, little by little, I realize how your absence has made me into the person I am today, the person I want to be. Seriously, thank you.

Sincerely,

Your “Daughter”