To the Dad who Left…

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Dad Who LeftIt’s Father’s Day. A day that used to be so hard for me. I would hear the other kids talk about homemade cards, family grill outs and baseball games and I would wonder if you were even thinking of me. I would wonder if you were celebrating with your other kids, the ones you decided to love. The hardest part was…I had to wonder.

Well, I want you to know that I don’t have to wonder anymore. Because when it comes to Father’s Day, I now celebrate with my whole heart and can now pay tribute to the fathers in my life. The ones who chose to be loving, caring men. The ones my children look up to. My life began without a father figure and I am now lucky enough to be surrounded by them and I can tell you this – you sure are missing out.

At eleven years old, I got my real dad. Mom married the love of her life and although things were shaky from time to time (as all blended families are), he is our rock and my role model. He worked very hard, was very successful and loves his family. He is a quiet leader and my children – his grandchildren – love him immensely. He has supported me in a way that only a father could and I want nothing more than to make him proud. He started to take that wonder away.

And three and a half years ago, I got to experience fatherhood from the very beginning. I got to see the look on my husband’s face when he saw his son for the first time. And then his daughter eighteen months later. I never saw that look as a small child, which made that moment even more powerful. How lucky are my babies? Their father, the love of my life, wants to move mountains for them. He wants to protect them, teach them, guide them and love on them – day in and day out. He misses them when he’s at work and he kisses them on the lips. He cried after our son was born because he was overwhelmed with love. He learned to be a dad from his own father, who taught him well. I do not ever have to wonder what a real man – a real father – looks like anymore.

So you are off the hook and have been for a while. I spend Father’s Days helping my kids make homemade cards, grilling out with our family and teaching our kids how to play baseball. Most importantly, I spend the day thanking the men in my life who are wonderful fathers, each and every day. They’ve loved, they’ve hugged, they’ve committed…they’ve stayed.

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Andrea Limke
I am a native Cincinnatian and thanks to a lot of moving, I know this city pretty well. I grew up on the Westside, attended Walnut Hills High School, and then headed to Oxford for an education degree at Miami University. After a few years in Hyde Park, my husband and I are settled in Northern Kentucky for the time being. One of the great things about the Cincinnati area is the abundance of wonderful neighborhoods, schools and family friendly activities! My husband, Andrew, and I have a son, Aiden (2) and our baby girl, Audrey. We didn’t exactly plan all of the “A” names, but it allows us to keep our family nickname – the A-Team. I am an elementary school teacher, but am on a leave of absence right now to be home with my kids. My days are filled with entertaining my babies, taking way too many pictures on my phone and changing a lot of diapers. Thanks to recent open-heart surgery, I have an aortic valve that ticks (like a clock!), I have ornithophobia (Google it) and I broke my hip when I was 18 (I will never ice skate again). But, I do love photography on my “real” camera, pretending I’m a good enough chef to have my own cooking show and playing outside. I turned to writing/blogging in order to document my family’s journey to better health and as motivation to keep myself on track. You can read more about my personal journey at www.limkelife.blogspot.com. I look forward to sharing the adventure of motherhood with you!

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