One of the biggest thing I've struggled with through my 20's were abandonment issues. I was talking to a friend of mine about my relationship with my father and what had transpired in the last 3 years. My father and I never really had a close relationship growing up. As previously discussed in other posts, he was in the Army pretty much all of my life. From what I remember, he was normally working and traveling. When I was about 11 years old, he traveled to Panama on business and really never moved back home. My parents ended up divorcing right before I turned 14. After that, he came around every so often to check in or send me money for school.
At that time, I really became lost. Even though he wasn't around, I felt the need to impress him. I did really good in school to get his approval and when he left, it became pointless. I did well in High School but as soon as I got to college, things just didn't work out the way I was accustomed to. It might have been other factors, however, not having my Daddy around didn't help either.
When you might think of a girl having daddy issues, one of two things might come to mind. She might be overly promiscuous and afraid of commitment or she might find relationship after relationship to fill that void of not having a father around. I won't say where I stand but I can say I was afraid of commitment for a very long time. It seemed as if I had sabotaged myself on several occasions where I might had been with a really good guy but I was just afraid he was going to leave me like my father did. There was a point in my late 20's where I felt that I was never going to get married. It became just a norm for me. I was by myself, no one was close enough to hurt and leave me and I was content.
I did meet someone in my life who found it a hobby to figure me out. In the long run, I think she really helped me learn to get close to someone. I did have great friends in college who helped me through tough times but I think at this point I could really recognize my thoughts and why I felt the way I felt. She would point out little nuances in things I would say and it kind of made me realize how close of a friend she really became.
About 3 years ago, for whatever reason, my father did come back into the picture full time. I mean, an email almost every day and a phone call practically once a week. After all of this time, I had to make some adjustments. It was crazy because my abandonment issues started to become less and less apparent. However, there would be moments after that which would make me relapse but the point is my father coming back into the picture did alleviate some of that pressure I was putting on myself.
It wasn't until February of this year, I really started to overcome those issues because I started going to church. I felt the conviction of God weighing heavy on my heart and I had to forgive him for not being there all that time. Trust me, I am so grateful he is back in my life. I never realized until we've gotten close that I get a lot of my personality traits from him like sarcasm and the want to be a social butterfly. He tells me stories about how I was his little baby and touches my heart. To know he has always loved me the whole time. These memories can never be taken away.
At the end of the day, that's all that matters. Not the past, not the future but what is going on now. Right now, my Daddy has become a great part of my life. Forgiving him and all of the others that might have hurt me was the best thing I could have ever done. For things to change, all you have to do is pray. God has a plan and I know it's a great one.