My Two Dads

I have two dads to thank for molding me into the woman I have become.

I was in the fourth grade when my birth father died. Robert Lawrence Truesdale, led me in life with a very stern, disciplined hand. I did get spanked, and I know I deserved it, but I cannot actually remember ever getting a spanking. I do however, remember what I got a spanking for. Talking back, throwing a fit, being snotty to my mother. I also remember some of my happiest times with him. I think he loved nothing more in the world than going fishing. We would go out into Robert's Bay, and I would catch the biggest fish of anyone, and then I would lie down and take a nap, while everyone else pulled minnows out of the water all day. He taught me to be strong, and to be respectful of everyone. He also showed me the bonds of a family, and the unbelievable strength my mother possessed. He stayed home until his last breaths, he was not the kind of person who wanted to waste away alone in a hospital. My mother, and her mother cared for him until he passed, and I still to this day cannot fathom the strength it took to see him that way, and care for his most basic needs until the end. I look forward to a day in heaven when I may walk with him, and hear all the stories he didn't have time to tell me.

A number of years later Michael Joseph Rigato entered my life. It was not until I moved out that I was able to really see eye to eye with him, and understand and repair the breakdowns in our relationship. Mike may be small, but he takes crap from no one, and he loves, and takes care of my mom like no other. The disrespect that I showed her in my teen years infuriated him, and like any teenager, I could not understand that I was being a brat, and that I, in reality, did not know everything. It can take a while to understand him, as he can come off as a bit harsh, and he is the kind of person who is always right, but he has taught me to stand up for myself, and to be passionate about what you believe in.

All I can say, is that a fathers love is like no other, and it does not matter if you share blood, as long as you share the bond of love. No one can take away the memories, and love a father gives you, and I am immeasurably thankful for the experiences my two dads have given me in life, that have made me who I am.

Without my dads, I am nothing. Thanks dad...