Father Figures

so it's been a little while since my last posting - life sometimes happens. In the time since my last posting, some things that were askew in my world have been righted, other items have been knocked askew (by others intending no good will), and I silently marked the anniversary of the loss of my father ... which has contributed to leading me to think about today's subject matter ...
As I am sure you all (my faithful readers) remember, 2 weeks ago was my 35th birthday (which has been chronicled previously) and something was said to me on that day that has stuck with me ... something that also goes along with a statement made by my sister a few weeks prior to that. The HG wished me a happy birthday and thanked me for being a father figure to her. Now I know what you are saying, big whoop, right? Yeah, it is a big whoop ... for starters, she's a teenager. Enough said there. But (more importantly), for someone who is not my child and who has only been living under my roof for less than 6 months to come out and say that, pays a major compliment to my view that I am doing the right thing.
While I have been accused of "starting a new family", that could not be further from the truth. I am not turning my back on my family or (more to the point) on my daughter - she is, and always will be, a most integral part of my family. Instead, I am growing my family, both through addition and subtraction. It has not proven to be the most popular move in some circles, but I am not concerned with popularity. I am concerned with happiness - my own and those close to me whom I love.
Back to the story at hand, however ... so I was floored with this compliment from the HG, and it was one that was echoed previously (to an extent) by one of my sisters. She admitted a few weeks prior, that what I was doing was similar to what the old man did for me, when he and my mom married. He took me in, and did his best to raise us all right. His methods weren't always direct, nor were they always immediately rewarding (for anyone involved), but the most important part was that he tried to bring us up right. Without thinking I have followed in some of my old man's footsteps ... yet I have to focus on paving my own legacy in this world.
What's funny is that this is a role I have taken on sublimely, sometimes without thought - I am just going with what I know to do, or at least what I think is right to do. While I am not out to replace the father that the Gingers have, I am going to provide them as best guidance and parenting as I can, as I would my own daughter. Honestly, it is something that I hope for and expect for my daughter, if my ex-wife ever decides to move on with her life and finds another partner.

Something I am finding in this 'new year' of growth is that I have changed, in many ways it feels very subtle to me (maybe it's not to you), and I will continue to do so. There are many plans in the works and they cannot be achieved through stagnation. After all, I am my father's son ...