Happy Father’s Day, Dad.

I know we have not always been the best between each other.

You have always called me your little buddy. The little legend.

And so many more things that I could not even imagine.

We have not always agreed, path, or agreement.

We did not always get along or always believe the same.

But the last month has taught me so much about you and about how much people care about you.

And how good of a person you really are.

Despite what I have always believed or always wanted to believe, I seen that you are so many good things to so many people.

And in return, so many people that I have met during this my past month have told me nothing but good things about me.

It helps to see myself in a new light and understand that I need to do my best and be my best because you have taught me to be my best.

You have always wanted nothing but the best for me, just as you and Mom have created me and while I have may have said things that were not to the to the contrary.

You are not. You are the best!

I know you always had my best interest at heart.

And you fought tooth and nail sometimes, and even between yourselves to make sure that I was always taking care of, I was safe, and I had the best in your eyes.

No one else.

You fought systems, you fought people, and you even fought the law to make sure that you knew I would be safe.

What you knew is I needed to be safe, and this past month has taught me so much about you.

And even as I am evolving to the man that I am doing and the man that I have become at 39.

Wow, it is hard to believe I am thirty-nine and you are almost going to be seventy-seven.

But we have matured to these some great people in those years.

And you may be in the situation that you are in right now.

But you have got to stay strong.

There are a lot of people counting on you.

There are a lot of people praying for you, a lot of people caring about you.

You may not believe it.

But I know it.

I see it. It is like helping me, gets me back on track.

I am back on track.

I am doing well. I am the best that I have been in the past six years.

And there are some great people looking out for me to have my back.

They got me. They will support me.

And I know those same people that are supporting you and all these people you have refunded in all those years of you are life.

The rest are there for you as well. I see it.

I see it every time.

I see everybody helping us.

They know how good of a person you were, even though for many years I did not think that.

Even though despite our struggles in life,

I know that you, you did the best that you could.

We all struggle.

We are a unique family, not just in our immediate family, but overall. And when you blend mom and I and every all over the whole family units, everybody, we all have our challenges.

We all have our best and we all have our worst struggles.

But we are, we are, we are together, and we stick together.

We are resilient. We fight through it.

You know, all the time when I am active, whether it is on the bus, whether it is at work or anywhere else I go. Everybody is asking how are you?

And I tell them I am honest. I tell them.

And they say God is not ready for you yet or other things of that nature.

Keep the faith, pray.

Do whatever you can, and I want you to know. That even though I may have thought differently in the past, I want you to live.

I want you to be the best that you can be.

I am forgiving all the past that happened.

There are a lot of things that happened to me this week, the past week, and the last few weeks that really made me see myself in a different light. And the need to take care of myself, know how to advocate for myself, know how to ask for help when I need it, and know that I have tons of support behind me, and I have a village.

It has always been said that it takes a village to raise a family. And that is nothing more.

No farther than the truth.

I have seen many people come onto this earth and be delighted by my life, and they have left too soon. I am not ready for you to leave yet Dad.

I still need you in my life.

You have shown me so much.

I have learned so much from cooking and macaroni and noodles to doing many other things.

I might have shown my expressions in a different way, but that might not have been because I was not educated.

You are an impressive person, Dad.

I want you to know that I would not have wanted any other father.

I am leading by your example. Today I found the bond.

I am a Christian person. I only drink what I need to drink, and I only eat what I need to eat.

I am learning new habits. I am learning new ways of living my life.

I am taking this summer off to take care of myself so that I can be good for you and the best that you can be.

You do not need to worry about me anymore. You focus on yourself. Take care of yourself.

I will take care of mom and you. And everybody else that needs help.

And I know that if I need help, I can call on any of your friends or anybody that I know I can trust.

Because I know if they if I need help and I ask them, they will help me or they will find somebody who can.

I am a very resourceful person and I have learned a lot in my life in the past 39 years, but I know I can do better, and I am working on that.

I am taking the time to learn about that and so much has happened in the past six years, but I am already and over all the past thirty-eight.

I am starting my birthday week on the right foot. I am learning how to better take care of myself, how to live better, and how to make my life the best that it can be.

I want you to be around as long as you can. Be here for everyone. And be the best that you can be.

I love you, Dad. I always will. I love you just as much as anybody else I love.

I am not interested in anybody else but family and friends. It does not bother me.

I am living my authentic self now. That stuff in the past does not matter.

 The ways I acted. I forgive all my behaviors and I hope that you find it in your heart to forgive the way that I have acted towards you.

That was not me. I am stable now; I am well, and I know what I need to do to stay well, and I am working increasingly  on that every day.

I love you Dad, and I always will.

Take care. Be strong, I know you have the heart to do it. Your strong-willed and resilient just like the rest of us. You will do it.

Progress may not come as fast as you like it, but I see it when I see you.

I enjoy coming to see you. Even though you are there, I know you are in a good place.

I see the joy that I give to people, and I see the joy that I give back in return.

I am a good person and I know that, and I have really seen that because. I have seen you, the good person on the outside.

We all have our quarrels behind closed doors, and I had that.

And now that I have got myself stable and the best that I can be, I know I can be good too.

I love you, Dad.

You take it easy as you always say. We will take care of you.

Love you always, Dustin.