Who will cry for the little boy? By Antwone Fisher
Who will cry for the little boy?
Lost and all alone.
Who will cry for the little boy?
Abandoned without his own?
Who will cry for the little boy?
He cried himself to sleep.
Who will cry for the little boy?
He never had for keeps. Who will cry for the little boy?
He walked the burning sand
Who will cry for the little boy?
The boy inside the man.
Who knows well hurt and pain
Who will cry for the little boy?
He died again and again.
Who will cry for the little boy?
A good boy he tried to be
Who will cry for the little boy?
Who cries inside of me
Today is the day before Father’s Day and today I want to share a very special story. It’s a story of triumph, and perseverance amiss seemingly impossible odds. This is the story of my husband’s childhood. If you have ever seen Chris and Kal-el together since day one you can’t help but notice what a natural Chris is and how much Super loves his Daddy. Chris is an amazing Dad. Their bond is unbreakable. I can hardly put this into words without getting completely emotional. I am overcome with joy watching Chris fulfill his role as a father. Chris embodies the word strength. To understand the weight and validity of this statement you have to understand a little of his life as a child. My husband is a man that did not really have a family. His relationship with his mother was unreliable at best and as a child there was no real home to speak of. They sort of drifted from place to place. There were many days where he was left completely alone, sometimes in hotels, sometimes in random unfamiliar houses in the huge city of Portland Oregon to care for two younger siblings( at the tender age of 5 ) for days at a time. Most days were spent worrying about the next meal that might not take place. There were no toys, much less Christmas or Birthdays. Chris once told me for several years of his life he didn’t even know the date of his birthday, just how old he was. Broke my heart. He wasn’t talked to enough, thought about enough, touched enough, or loved enough and those were on good days. Several years went by this way. When Chris was 8 years old his life took a turn for the worse in an already despair filled childhood. He lost his mother to cancer. His Father was in and out of trouble and nowhere in sight when his little boy needed him. So begin Chris’s life in the foster care system. Most days were fine but that real since of family was missing for a little boy that never had it. At least there was some stability. School days were met with open arms because it was an outlet that took his mind away from the hurt going on inside. He excelled at school and sports that he become involved in. The foster home era proved to be very short lived when nothing short of a miracle happened in the streets of downtown Portland one day at a busy bus stop. Chris and his paternal Grandmother, that he had not seen since his birth , came face to face and knew each other instantly with only pictures to serve their memories. She was a petite Native American woman with kind features. It was Chris who recognized her first and gathered all the courage he could muster and ask the simple question with a child’s heart full of hope…”I’m Chris and I think you are my grandmother” In an unbelievable twist of fate that no doubt had God’s hand in it she immediately recognized him to and informed him that she had been desperately trying to find him. She also told him she had Birthday presents waiting on him from all the birthdays they had spent apart. She decided to fight the system for him and with Grande Rhonde, a very prominent Native American tribe in Oregon, she along with Chris's paternal Hispanic Grandfather won the parental rights to their grandchild. Chris said she did a great job of absolutely ruining him the years that she had him. He soon found out very quick when is birthday was not to be forgotten again! These were, as you can imagine some of the best years of his childhood. A few years down the road as Chris became a preteen he began to act out a little and at a young age did not have the emotional capabilities to deal with what hand his childhood had dealt him. His grandmother had her own vices as well and turned to them more often than she should of .Eventually things got worse when Chris's grandfather developed alzheimers. By the time Chris reached high school he might of gotten completely off course had it not been for a wonderful family by the name of the Pietrzyk’s. He became fast friends with all five of the brothers and their parents became the family that he never had. They were the best influence he had ever had and they guided him through the rest of his journey into adulthood. They are a big part of our lives to this day. They flew into town the day Chris and I got married and have been an a part of Kal-el’s life as well. I am so grateful for their influence in my husband’s life. Chris lost his grandmother, the closest thing he had to a mother back in 2006 when we were engaged. She will be grately missed. I mourn the fact that I never got to meet her in person but we talked on the phone many times and she would always say she was very proud of Chris and the direction that he chose for his life. Today Chris is no longer a little boy with a life filled with hurt. He is a man. He is a man with a family that will love him til the end of time. He has told me many times that I’m his angel, well I have to say he is mine. For all of my ideals and philosophys on life and my thoughts of what strength means and defining personal achievement he has defied every notion, tearing down the walls that a formal education boxed me into regarding the human condition. He personifies the strength and character development and gives it new meaning beyond a text book definition. It goes back to Psychology 101. Nature vs Nurture. He had neither in his favor and he rose above his circumstances. So this Father’s Day I want to make sure he is given all the credit he deserves. We jokely refer to him as the baby whisper because he can put anyone to shame when it comes to caring for little ones. He has never once cringed about a diaper change or tried to dodge any duties. As a matter of fact he wants a part of everything that involves me and Kal-el. No wonder DaDa is Kal-el’s best friend in the whole world. He is a Daddy’s boy all the way. I’m am so proud of our little family. Getting to watch Chris grow from an amazing husband to an amazing father has been a remarkable journey. I hope that I fill my roles half as well as a wife and Mommy. This was not meant to be a sad story but yet a touching reminder that anything is possible when you believe in who you are and what you want enough. As you can see the road may not of been an easy one to travel down but in the end true happiness was found.
So.....I will do better than cry for the little boy...I will make it possible for the little boy to cry again then wipe his tears away....we all cry for the little boy..or girl...or man... or woman...when we live with love, acceptance, and compassion in our hearts.
i just teared up! love the new picks! :)
ReplyDelete