Addictive dysfunctional behavior robs us of important things of life. With our Higher Power, however, we can and do recover.

Fatherlessness. What’s that?

It’s true. I never danced with my real daddy.

We didn’t go to the movies.

I don’t remember sitting down and sharing a family meal with him.

My dad never read me a bedtime story.

Never disciplined me, or sent me to my room.

He didn’t take me to church.

His image is not in any of my “growing up” photos.

 

But my mother was.

And by God’s divine appointment so was her dad, my Dziadzi (Jaw-Gee)—grandfather in Polish.

Dziadzi drove us to church.

Furnished the roof over our heads.

Provided and shared every meal with his large extended family.

And I treasure my photos of him.

Dziadzi was the role model who made it easier for me to make the decision to move on to Step 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

 

Dziadzi never formally adopted my sister, brother or me.He didn’t have to. He knew we were his, and more importantly we knew he was ours.

It was Dziadz’s day-in-and-day-out example of unconditional love led me straight into the arms of a loving Father God, “who decided in advance to adopt us into his own family …” (Ephesians 1:5 NLT).

Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close (Psalm 27:10 NLT).