Personal Essay
Your Dad’s Here Said the Clairvoyant — He Was a Sailor
This year Father’s Day holds a special significance for me
In the past, Father’s Day has always been a painful reminder that a piece of my identity was missing. I used to keep my head down and let other people celebrate the men in their lives. But this year I will stand tall and even though I won’t ever meet my dad, I can picture his face and think a little about the life he lived.
My History
I was adopted and grew up without knowing my biological family. This left me feeling incomplete, mixed with raw emotions I didn’t quite understand.
In my 20s, I found and contacted my birth mother and four half-siblings. Meeting them was overwhelming. I paid little attention when mum revealed my father’s name and one snippet of information: he had been in the navy.
While I was glad to discover my maternal heritage, I naively avoided learning more about my father, partly blaming him for my adoption. Surely if he hadn’t left my mum I could have grown up with my birth family? But I was young and flighty back then, believing I had all the time in the world. Which is true — until suddenly you don’t.
