Fatherless Days

By Vicki Woods, November Coalition staffer

Today I watched my grandson play baseball. He's an incredible pitcher, at 10 years old, which is no surprise to me, since throwing a ball has been his favorite thing to do since he was very young. I remember when I traveled from Oregon to Texas with him to visit his dad. The first stop was to buy a ball, and then at every rest area along the way, we threw the ball and threw the ball and then threw the ball some more.

That trip bonded us, Brandon and I. With each other, and in our love for his father, my oldest son, Rob. I talked to my son last week, and he was jealous that I could go watch Brandon play ball, and he couldn't. Mandatory minimum sentencing and an uncaring public defender put my son down for 5 years, forcing him, like so many others, to miss their children's ball games and birthdays.

For four years now, his son and two daughters have spent an unhappy Fatherless Day. But, then, everyday is a fatherless day when your dad is in prison. What a shame when so many of our country's children are left without the influence and guidance of their fathers for ridiculously long periods of time. With all of my heart I pray for true justice and an end to this war on drugs and deprivation our children face. May there be no more Father's Day without a father or Mother's day without a mother for our children.