Life Was Preparing Me

In my life I've known some setbacks,

I've walked roads I didn't choose,

Learned that sometimes growing stronger Starts with something you can lose.

I grew up without a father,

But I never missed the man,

I couldn't miss somebody I never got the chance to understand.

There was no anger in my heart then,

No memory calling out his name,

It was simply how my life was,

So I learned to play a different game.

While my classmates and my childhood friends Saw life another way,

I was asking different questions,

Learning lessons every day.

I had to think beyond my years,

Had to find my own way through,

And though I couldn't see it then,

Life knew what it had to do.

Every setback had a purpose,

Every lonely road had meaning,

What I thought was something missing

Was preparing me for something...

Life was preparing me

For the father I would be,

Teaching me through what I didn't have What my children ought to

see.

A home where they feel protected,

Arms that hold them when they fall,

A voice that tells them,

"I'm right here," Whenever life comes calling hard.

I'll give them love,

I'll give them shelter,

I'll give them everything I can,

Because life was preparing that little boy To someday become their dad.

Now I look into my children's eyes,

And suddenly I understand,

Why some lessons came so early,

Why I had to learn to stand.

Because being there means everything,

More than money, more than words,

It's making sure they always know Their voices will be heard.

It's showing up on ordinary days,

Not only when they're scared,

It's giving them the certainty That Dad will always be there.

Life was preparing me

For the father I would be,

Teaching me through what I didn't have What my children ought to

see.

A home where they feel protected,

Arms that hold them when they fall,

A voice that tells them,

"I'm right here," Whenever life comes calling hard.

I'll give them love,

I'll give them shelter,

I'll give them everything I can,

Because life was preparing that little boy To someday become their dad.

Maybe I didn't have his footsteps To teach me where to go,

Maybe I didn't have his wisdom To tell me what to know.

But absence has its lessons,

too, Though they're difficult to see,

Because everything I wished I'd known Became what I would give freely.

So my children won't have to wonder

If their father knows their name,

They won't have to question whether I'll be there through joy or

pain.

They'll know my love through actions,

They'll know my word is true,

And if there's one thing life has taught me: A father's love

is something you do.

Life was preparing me

For the father I became,

Turning every disappointment

Into strength behind my name.

I'll give my children security,

I'll give them somewhere safe to stand,

I'll teach them strength with kindness

And that love makes a man.

And when someday they're older,

And they're looking back at me,

I hope they don't remember what I bought them,

But remember who I chose to be.

That Dad was there to guide them,

That Dad was there when they would fall,

That Dad never made them wonder

If they were loved at all.

I grew up without a father,

And once I couldn't understand...

But maybe life was preparing me

For the day I'd take their hands.

I couldn't change my beginning,

But I could choose where the story led.

I grew up without a father...

So my children could grow up

Knowing they had a dad.