"Fatherlessness"

Before I go on, I need to say how thankful I am that the assassination attempt against David Ortiz, "Big Papi," was UNSUCCESSFUL.  "Papi" (above)  was shot in the Dominican Republic a few days ago, in case you didn't know.  I've already decided that my theme for today's blog would be "Fatherlessness" but I'm grateful that we are not "PAPI-less" as I begin writing here on the day before Fathers Day.




Anyway, so 40 years ago today my sister MaryAnn got married and I was looking at pictures of that this week.  Noticeably absent from the ceremony was my DAD, but, well that's no surprise...he couldn't make it for MY wedding 5 months earlier, either (and in neither case did he even call, send a card or a gift, Lol!!  He just didn't CARE.) We basically grew up in the city streets of Newark, New Jersey WITHOUT my dad...he left us when we were infants...and though by the grace of God and input from our GRANDPARENTS my sisters and I "turned out well," it's been hard. At least we were always there for OUR kids.

There's a terrific show on "Showtime" called THE CHI, about some black families on the south side of Chicago.  The whole plot really revolves around the three young men pictured, each of whom is fatherless but full of TREMENDOUS potential.  One dude is trying to start a business but has no financial backing from a dad, so eventually "has" to accept money from a shady businessman.  ANOTHER guy has no dad living at home, just "two mothers" and the effects on his social life are obvious.  The OTHER one already has kids by three different women (just like HIS departed dad did) but is working hard to try to get on his feet financially and give child support to the three demanding moms.  You see, NONE of these guys was born POOR and white people are NOT blamed as the source of their problems (how refreshing).  They are "good" guys and come from a world where black-on-black crime threatens them, NOT the police and their biggest obstacle in life is.....FATHERLESSNESS. Rightly or wrongly, they look to BARACK OBAMA (who's from Chicago) as a role model because, though he's "out of their league" he's the best example they have (how SAD.)   Oh yeah, there's a young LADY whose dad dies and she allows herself to be sexually exploited by an older man, trying to fill the void her dad left.  THERE IS NEVER AN EXCUSE FOR SIN, BUT THERE IS AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY CERTAIN FOLKS SIN IN CERTAIN WAYS.  

The final episode of "The Chi", Season Two, airs, appropriately, at 10 pm tomorrow night....Father's Day.  We'll watch it MONDAY and this is NOT a plug for the show, it has plenty of things in it that I don't recommend....but for ME watching it has been an eye-opener as to how FATHERLESSNESS hinders some guys and gals, and NOT just in the black community!!  I doubt that many, or ANY of my readers will want to watch "The Chi" which is why I gave no SPOILER ALERT (Lol)...but whether we watch it or not, this show is "Real Lifelike," sadly, and we'd better learn how to understand the Fatherlessness issue it addresses because it's NOT just confined to Chicago.

And yes, when someone gets SAVED they have God for their HEAVENLY Father, but it takes a long time to have faith that their HEAVENLY Father is not like their EARTHLY one if the EARTHLY one just picked up and left, for one reason or another.  It's something no one understands unless they've been through it.

"The Chi" has such realistic characters that, at times, when I watch with my wife I wind up PRAYING silently for these folks!!  And here's the point: people like this ARE real, they live in all parts of the country, they come in all colors, both sexes and all AGES, for that matter.  They walk around with holes in their hearts which, as John Lennon (who was fatherless, himself) sang makes them "crippled inside."  The common thread is that they are FATHERLESS and we had better start seeing them and caring for them as best we can.  Fatherlessness among so many in America is one of the biggest problems we face today!!  Maybe "Fathers Day" tomorrow is a good time to start reaching out to those for whom the day is NOT necessarily a "Happy" one, and stop pretending they don't exist.

They do, and they need (at the very least) our PRAYERS!!