"I made the brave decision to leave the UK, for sunshine and less stress."- I'm glad I'm not the only one who leaves places for sunshine. It literally makes a night and day difference in how I feel. Sun= happiness. And the occasional summer thunderstorm haha.
I'm far away from my Dad right now, and just HAD to read this post because my dad is my everything...and sometimes I question my choices to constantly be so far away from my family, especially when I know my parents are getting older (upper 60s) and there might not be a lot of time left.
Thank for sharing your raw, unfiltered thoughts. It's beautiful. I hope it helped you to get it all written down and out of your system. I hope you believe those words, and believe that she loves you. You're right that as she chooses her own path there will be physical business. But I think the bond between Father and daughter can be one of the strongest bonds on earth.
I think it's smart of you to recognize that your state of mental health isn't good for others and that you have to take care of yourself before you can give.
You know, it makes me think about someone...I won't say who. But an abusive parent, who wasn't in a good state of mental health obviously. They weren't smart enough to remove themselves from the situation and get help, and seriously damaged their relationship with their kid.
You can't pour from an empty cup. If your cup is empty, you have nothing to give.
So even though it seems like maybe a selfish decision or something that you regret, hopefully one day, your daughter will realize that working on yourself is actually a very selfless thing, because then you have more to give.
Out of love even you were willing to keep your distance, even though it obviously caused you lots of pain. That's true sacrifice. That's true love. And no distance can break that bond.
You sound like an amazing father and I'm glad that you care, when some dad's, unfortunately, don't.
How old is she? I hope you have a wonderful weekend and that your fears are eased. I don't talk to my dad as often as I should, but I know he loves me no matter what. I know I love him more than anything in the world. I'm sure she knows you love her fiercly.
Thank you so much for your comments @nomadicsoul.
I really appreciate hearing the 'other side' of the relationship between father/daughter.
It is my biggest hope that she sees what you speak about above, although it must be tough to see the whole picture at 12 years - especially when those around her may not be speaking positively about me/it.
I know there is a Father's Day to catch up with dad, but I can say that any time/any day is the right time to call. You are his sunshine and can turn any day into a bright one.
Thank you.