Single Dad’s Inspiring Letter After His Girlfriend Runs Away
November 19, 2015
Finding Strength You Never Knew You Had
Bravery isn’t just defined on a battlefield or in a life and death situation. Bravery is stepping up to do the right thing when others do not. It’s standing firm when others crumble. It’s stepping up when others flee. And that’s just what makes Richard Johnson such an amazing father.
He came from a family where everyone was either divorced or a single parent. His dad was not a part of his life. So, when his daughter, Persephone, was born and her mother took off just one month later, he was alone, scared and overwhelmed. But he knew he wanted to be a better father than he’d had. So, he chose to break the cycle of abandonment and do whatever it took to be a good father to little Persephone.
But how? That was the biggest and scariest question he faced. He said in a Facebook post,
"The days have been rough and at times I wasn't sure I could make it another day. I spent more then a few nights holding my little girl as she slept, weeping because I wasn't sure I was going to be a good enough father for her."
So he read every parenting book he could find and combed the Internet for resources. That’s how he became a part of Life of Dad, a Facebook community specifically for dads. It was both the support and outlet he needed -- a place where he could get advice and encouragement from other dads, as well as find a sense of solidarity with those who shared in his same struggle of being a single parent.
Richard recently posted a touching letter on the page, about how much the community has meant to him in his journey as a single father. Though many post regularly to the Life of Dad page, it is Richard’s honest and tender message that has gone viral.
Continue on to read the post that is inspiring folks everywhere. . .
Life of Dad,My name is Richard Johnson, and I'm a single father to a beautiful little girl named Persephone. Her...
Posted by Life of Dad on Tuesday, November 10, 2015
My name is Richard Johnson, and I'm a single father to a beautiful little girl named Persephone. Her mother left about a month after she was born. We still don't know exactly why, but we suspect post-partum depression played a part. In the first few weeks of it being just her and me, I stumbled upon your page by accident. I was so nervous and scared about being a father in general, but now I was a single father and had to fulfill two roles. I wasn't sure I could do it.
I had read every "new parent" book I could find and clocked in over 1000 hours in YouTube videos from everything to braiding hair and painting nails to theories on how to deal with common parental issues. I then started to watch your page more closely and saw that there were other fathers out there who were in similar predicaments as me. The page started to turn into a major confidence booster and really helped me through all of this.
I always look forward to photo submissions and reading the stories of some of the awesome dads out there in this community. You truly helped my daughter and me through a very difficult time.
We're both very happy now and continue to grow together everyday. She's now 10 months, and I now get asked by my friends for parenting advice constantly. We've come a long way, my daughter and me, and we definitely owe part of that to this page and the people within it. So from both of us, we wanted to thank you.
Sincerely,
Persephone & Richard Johnson
Richard’s story is so touching because it proves just how much you can accomplish when you refuse to give up. It reminds me of a quote I once heard from motivational speaker and author, Zig Ziglar:
“The greatest of all mistakes is to do nothing because you think you can only do a little.”
Robert didn’t have all the answers. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to do everything he needed to in order to be a good father. But he didn’t let that stop him. And it’s truly amazing to see how much God can do with a willing heart!
Richard has now experienced what an incredible blessing it is to be a parent. He courageously stepped up to a task that seemed too big, and now he recognizes the amazing things he would have missed had he chosen to give into fear and run. In fact, he had the following message for other single parents:
“For any single parents out there, if you ever feel like the load is too much or you're just not good enough. Look into your amazing child's eyes and just tell them you love them. You'd be amazed to see how much strength you have when someone else is counting on you and loving you more and more for what you're doing. You'll find strength where you thought you had none.”
We’ll continue praying for Robert and little Persephone, and hope you will too. And we’ll also be praying God will provide her mother with healing she needs, and that she will one day be a part of her daughter’s life too. Because no obstacle is too big for our God!
If your heart can stand a little more melting, then check out what this single dad did for his daughter right before the daddy-daughter dance at her school!
Credit: Facebook/Life of Dad
h/t: Little Things
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Unity in the Church This Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 22
It’s easy to take offense when someone hurts you, or you’re frustrated with where you are in life, and it seems as though everyone around you is thriving. But, when we take an honest look at ourselves and see how God loves us (1 Corinthians 13), we realize we have no right to hold any grudges against our brothers and sisters.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Unity in the Church This Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 22
It’s easy to take offense when someone hurts you, or you’re frustrated with where you are in life, and it seems as though everyone around you is thriving. But, when we take an honest look at ourselves and see how God loves us (1 Corinthians 13), we realize we have no right to hold any grudges against our brothers and sisters.
Past Stories
- Husband Decorates His Neighbors' Homes For Wife Who Loves Christmas
- Couple Befriend Older Neighbor After Hearing Music Coming From His Apartment
- California Man Carpools With Adult Children On His Very Last Day of Work Before Retirement
- Family of Three Grows To Seven Overnight With Birth of Quadruplets
- The World's Oldest Dog Spike the Chihuahua Turns 25 Years Old
- Christmas Tree Planted Back in 1979 Inspires and Unites a Small English Village
- Dick Van Dyke Turns 99 After Evacuating From a Wildfire and Welcoming His Lost Cat Back Home
- Santa and Mrs.Claus Continue to Spread Christmas Magic Even With Santa's MS Diagnosis
- Little Girl Gets a Big Elf On the Shelf Surprise Honoring the Little Brother Who Passed Away
- Little Boy From England With Leukemia Delivers Over 400 Christmas Gifts To Kids At the Hospital
- Gold Star Family Receives a Big Surprise That Will Change Their Lives Forever
- 8-Year-Old With Down Syndrome Is a Hero After Saving Sister From House Fire
- Man Paralyzed At 17 While Snowboarding Has Found True Love and a Wonderful Life
- His Wife Passed Away, Now Their Special Tree is the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
- Granddaughter Captures Last Words Between Grandparents, Married For 69 Years
- New York State Police Rescue Woman Needing a Heart Transplant Stranded in Snowstorm
- Born the Same Year the Titanic Sank, World's Oldest Man Dies at 112
- Family Receives Support From School and Community After Losing House in a Fire
- Soldier Reunites With His Military Dog Yyacob After Years Apart
- Chicago Man Discovers That The Owner Of The Bakery He Loved To Visit Was Actually His Mother
- Husband Pays For 40 Pet Adoptions At Shelter For His Wife's 40th Birthday
- Parents Find Healing After Loss of Son By Donating His Beloved Key Collection To Little Boy
- Mom Dances With Son At His Wedding After Being Placed in Hospice Care 2 Weeks Before
- Grandmother and Young Granddaughter Battling Cancer At the Exact Same Time
- Community Brings Christmas Joy to Virginia Woman With Just Weeks to Live
- Four Friends Recreate A Fun Vacation Photo From 50 Years Ago
- School in Arkansas Mourns the Loss of Their Beloved Emotional Support Dog Abby
- 93-Year-Old Has Made Sure To Attend Every High School Football Game Since 1946
- Texas Mom Doesn't Remember Delivering Triplets After Rare Complication After Birth
- United Airlines Pilot Buys Pizza For 155 Passengers After They Make An Unexpected Stop
- Teenager With Down Syndrome Enjoys Playing Kickball After Parents Organize Neighborhood Game
- Woman in Shock After Finding Winning Lottery Ticket At the Bottom of Her Purse
- Australian Couple Walks Into Their Bedroom To Find the Cutest Koala
- 5 Boys and Their Father Were Saved By Good Samaritan After Explosion
- Daughter of WWII Soldier Finally Learns What Happened To Him, 80 Years Later
- Sisters Scream With Joy Watching Their 4-Year-Old Sister Take Her First Steps
- Her Mom Put a Message in a Bottle As a Child, 26 Years Later Her Classmate Found It
- This Missouri School Was Renamed After Their Much Loved and Dedicated Custodian
- Michael Strahan's Daughter is Now Cancer Free and Has Taught Him All About Perseverance
- These Two Newlyweds Found Love in Their Late 90s, After Meeting At Their Retirement Home
- Sisters Who Were Adopted By Separate Families Nearly 40 Years Ago Reunite After DNA Tests
- Oldest Living Person in the US Passes Away at 115, After a Long and Faithful Life
- At Just 20 and 22 Years Old, These Two Sisters From Minnesota Saved Their Family Farm
- After Over 450 Days in a Shelter, Boone and Rellie Find Their Forever Home, Together
- Sweet Kitten Named Coraline Loses Both Her Eyes, but Inspires Many with Her Spirit
- Donny Osmond Sees the 'End of the Tunnel' Coming After Performing for Over 6 Decades
- An Iguana Hitches a Ride on a Garbage Truck in Tennessee, Now Trying to Find Its Owner
- 6-Year-Old Starts 'Poop Scooping' Business to Help Animals and Adopt One of His Own
- Bride's Dad Drops During Father-Daughter Dance, but Things Lined up Perfectly to Save His Life
- Young North Carolina Father Risked His Life To Save a Couple and Dog From a Sinking Truck
Top Music Videos
The Statler Brothers 'Til the Storm Passes By' The Statler Brothers Live Performance
Jeremy Camp Jeremy Camp 'Ready Now' Powerful Official Music Video
Kari Jobe Kari Jobe - Revelation Song
Mark Schultz 'Different Kind of Christmas' - Live From Mark Schultz
Anne Wilson Anne Wilson’s Powerful Live Performance of 'The Cross'
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.