Abuelito, Dad, Papi & Pops

The title of this blog may be a little strange but these are the names of all four father's that I was blessed to have in my life.



Abuelito


From the moment I was born, this man only had eyes for me. To him I was also known as "Tanita". This is the man that raised me and took care of me. He took care of me when no one was able to. My parents were both working and my grandmother had not retired yet. I was born with one leg shorter than the other and I had to go through a battery of test and operations and he felt the need to be by my side the whole time. I think he felt sorry for me since I was just a little thing. But in the years growing up with him, he was the one I always called for and looked up to. I spent many years with him in Puerto Rico at his home. He was the one to get me my first bike and teach me how to ride. This man also was very protective of me. He would not allow any boys to come near me and he made sure he knew where I was if I was playing outside and who I was with. As the years went by I felt that I could go to him if I wanted to be babied and taken care of. He took care of me emotionally. He would counsel me and tell me at times why I shouldnt be doing things and how I should do the right thing. But there came a point where he was getting older and his health was declining. Before he passed away, he had a tremendous experience with my other father, Pops that I will never forget. After a church service, my grandfather was introduced to my Art Henderson (my future father-in-law). When they greeted each other, they shook hands and then hugged. At that moment, I swear it was like sparks were flying and my grandfather went into a holy ghost hoe down. He just kept speaking in tongues and squeezing Art like I had never seen. It almost seem like they were getting electrocuted. After it was all said and done they wiped the tears and moved on. I never really understood what happened that day until after he died. I will explain later on Pops story what that really meant. To me my abuelito will be my first earthly father. He shielded and protected me like one and I will forever be greatful.


Dad







This man is my biological father. There really isnt much I can say and that is because he died when I was 10 years old exactly. He died on my birthday June 14, 1988. I can't fault him for having the life that he had because he wasnt exactly raised in a christian home with a set of parents. He was raised by his stepmother and basically fended for himself. His mother didnt want him because she was an alcoholic and his father died when he was 11 years old. With all that he became an alcoholic and just drank himself to death...literally. I don't hate on him at all and I also don't think I missed out on anything because of him. What I do wish is that he was around so I could know him as an adult and he could meet the man of my dreams, Artie and my beautiful children, Donovan and Ava and ask him a lot of questions. I miss him because I do remember him. I remember he was very funny and a great musician. Everybody that had the opportunity to meet him says that he had a great personality and he was well liked by all. He was wicked smart too. He just didnt have a fair chance in life. I love him and miss him and I am not ashamed of him at all. He was my Dad.


Papi







This is the man that took me in and included me in his own family and made my mother happy and that I will be forever greatful. Yes there were hard times blending families and attitudes but I can tell you this my mother misses than man everyday and would have another 17 years of that if she could have him back again. This man also helped me develop my God givin talents as a worship leader by allowing me to be the worship leader at his church. I learned and witness all the heartaches that come with being in the ministry. I saw blessings and curses being brought on people for their actions towards him, which is really scary so watch what you say about a man called by God. He wasnt one to show his affection very well to me but I knew that he cared very deeply for me even if we didnt see eye to eye. This man will truly be missed because at the end of his life he was starting to enjoy his family after being in ministry for so many years. I am so grateful that he was a part of my life. I love and miss him terribly and wish he was here to see my kids grow. But Donovan will always remember his "Welo" on the tractor. He made such a great impact in our community as well.


Pops


He is actually my father in law but since I was 12, he has been in my life. He has now taken the place of all of the above. Going back to the encounter that he had with my grandfather, the better explanation for that is the passing of the baton. What I mean by that is that where my grandfather was leaving off Pops was going to take over. Not to say that Papi (stepfather) wasn't taking on that role, but I just felt that since he had his own children at home to worry about I kind of leaned towards Pops for advice and spiritual guidance. There is a lot to be said about this one since I still have him in my life. For starters, I can call on him whenever I need help of some sort. If you ever need to talk, just plan on being there for a while but he always has scripture to back him up. Unfortunately there are people that don't agree with his philosphies and beliefs or even the way he approaches people but it always seem to be right in the end. His personality is more like a get up in your grill type approach to figure out what is really going on. Like Jesus did when he was doing the work of ministry on the earth, he would talk to the persons issues not the question that was asked. It's kind of freaky when he does it but he most definitely gets the root of the problem. He isnt afraid to tell you the truth and that is what attracted me to him. Don't get me wrong he aint perfect by any stretch and he does have his faults...duh he is human, but we won't discuss those cause the good definetly outways the bad. Part of the reason why he is so impressionable is because of his passion for doing the work of the ministry and helping people see what God can do in their lives. He helps bring the potential out of people and helps them recognize it. He lives his life COMPLETELY by faith and that speaks volumes.

To sum up this blog, I have been blessed to have 4 father figures in my life. Not many people can say that and what is really sad people that have had one father don't appreciate them. Parents aren't perfect but they definitely should be appreciated.