A Story of Dad and Rebirth

My dad was my hero – a larger than life character who dreamed, lived and loved BIG. He brought play and adventure into a deprived chapter of my life that needed his magic.

When my parents split up, my mom moved us from New Orleans, across the country in a bus called the Mars Hotel to a strict vegan hippie commune in California. The very moment the bus rolled out of the Big Easy, my father became like a rock star to me. As we traveled further West, each day, I longed for our eventual glorious father/daughter reunion, while staring out the back window singing Hopelessly Devoted.

The brightest memories of my early years always center around my dad. Once during Christmas, he dressed up as Santa Claus to pick up my brother and me at the Louis Armstrong airport. When he’d visit the California commune, he’d arrive in a shiny black Cadillac and fish tail into the dirt driveway as he parked, bringing smuggled goods and forbidden foods like French bread (once we ate 8 loaves between the 3 of us). He might whisk us away to Disney World…or take us to Paris and Rome, expanding our young minds with the beauty and the richness that comes from exposure to cultural diversity.

While I wish I could say this story ends Happily Ever After, like most great dramatic tales of love, the plot thickened with heavy heartbreak. There are many devastating details to my dad’s battle with drug addiction, but ultimately his bright candle burned out just before his 45 th birthday.

Losing him brought deeper pain than I could imagine, and I’m still sorting through the emotional and mental mess left behind. But after years of excruciating inner recovery, I’ve slowly put the shattered pieces together and am grateful for the essential growth that comes with healing. I now see the whole story, which includes the broken human behind the hero.

And yet the ongoing grief continues to motivate me to dream big, seek truth,
excel and strive for excellence.

He ran his restaurant with this philosophy: Exceptional quality at an affordable price – a high standard I have adopted for my own business. Since he couldn’t complete his precious life or share his incredible gifts, I am doing my best to build upon his legacy.

Exceptional quality at an affordable price – a high standard I have adopted for my own business.

Father’s Day always inspires memories of my dad, and reminds me that reparation takes place over time and with patience. At the time of his death, my faith in everything was shattered. Yet slowly, dreams have unfolded and trust restored through love and hard work.

Many of us have been rattled recently by a rapidly changing environment, horrific injustice, escalating violence, and people across the world undergoing overwhelming hardships.  New perplexing realities present themselves everyday, many of which are hard on our heads and hearts.

Great breakthroughs, internally and externally, often begin with breakdowns, heartbreaks and outrage. This newfound challenging chapter could ultimately deliver much needed positive change. Hard times and seemingly insurmountable challenges often bring the big lessons and the drive to evolve into something greater.

I hope this tense and tender time will bring more meaning to our lives, with increased communal warmth and wellness, and give birth to new levels of compassion and awareness. And I hope the contained time quarantine will help slow down the frenzied pace of contemporary life. During even the toughest times, positive opportunities arise. In that case, darkness can be like a cocoon, from which we eventually emerge ready to fly.

Thank you dearly for supporting me during this time with your lotion love, reviews, likes/comments, and for being part of this Essential community. I wish you and your loved ones continued strength and much love.

Please enjoy 10% off + free shipping on all purchases from now until Father’s Day. *Excludes Moisture Replenish program. Use coupon code DAD at checkout.

P.S. I love reading your comments. Please share below your thoughts about this article or share your very own father’s day story.