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There are maybe three men in the world that I have thought of as my father. One won this right purely through genetics, another through friendship and being a role model, and the third when I had the good fortune to marry his son. This is about him.
I was blessedly lucky when I acquired my in-laws; more so than most people I know, my husband included. They were kind, cheerful, welcoming people who accepted me into their family with open arms, and they never made me feel left out, unwelcome, or like I wasn't good enough for them or their son. I found acceptance with them that I rarely have anywhere else, even though I only saw them rarely.
My father-in-law.... what can I say about him? He was a tall man; quiet and thoughtful, with a dry sense of humor that he kept hidden at first - a lot like his son. He was kind and attentive to his wife, he treated his sons with respect, and his grandchildren with love and affection. And he gave me the same kindness and respect and love that he did all of them. There was never any question as to whether I was part of the family - if![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
umbran loved me, then I was, in every way that mattered, family.
He was a good man, and he made me feel good about myself. I wish I had more to say about him here, but I never got the chance to talk with him or get to know him more thoroughly - like I said, he was quiet. And I never will. A few years ago, he and my mother-in-law moved back to Latvia, and last night we got a phone call telling us that he had passed away after an unfairly yet mercifully short battle with cancer.
It's not fair. I didn't get enough time with him. And I know that even if I had seen him every day since I became his daughter, that those words would still be true.
I was blessedly lucky when I acquired my in-laws; more so than most people I know, my husband included. They were kind, cheerful, welcoming people who accepted me into their family with open arms, and they never made me feel left out, unwelcome, or like I wasn't good enough for them or their son. I found acceptance with them that I rarely have anywhere else, even though I only saw them rarely.
My father-in-law.... what can I say about him? He was a tall man; quiet and thoughtful, with a dry sense of humor that he kept hidden at first - a lot like his son. He was kind and attentive to his wife, he treated his sons with respect, and his grandchildren with love and affection. And he gave me the same kindness and respect and love that he did all of them. There was never any question as to whether I was part of the family - if
umbran loved me, then I was, in every way that mattered, family.He was a good man, and he made me feel good about myself. I wish I had more to say about him here, but I never got the chance to talk with him or get to know him more thoroughly - like I said, he was quiet. And I never will. A few years ago, he and my mother-in-law moved back to Latvia, and last night we got a phone call telling us that he had passed away after an unfairly yet mercifully short battle with cancer.
It's not fair. I didn't get enough time with him. And I know that even if I had seen him every day since I became his daughter, that those words would still be true.
