In honor of papi's 65th birthday, I decided to talk about our relationship and what that looked like for me. I cried a lot in this episode because it was me expressing my thoughts and feelings about our father-daughter relationship. I talk about the absent parent, questioning how can I miss someone who was not even present. It is hard. This was hard. But it was important for me to talk about something that shapes a huge part of who I am and who I am working towards becoming, but also the trauma and heavy stuff that comes with working towards that and growing up. My relationship with my father was nothing that I wanted it to be, but I tried. I forgot to mention that I was always told to look for my father even when I felt as a child that was not my responsibility. Talking about our relationship can sometimes be really hard for me because I want to remember more of the good than the bad. I don't blame my father for how he showed up in my life, maybe he could not be the parent I wanted him to be. But I am grateful for the time that we spent, the love he was able to give me, and how much he reminded me that he loved me. Although there are parts of our relationship that caused trauma for me, I am overcoming and growing through those things. I love him because he is my dad. He is a part of the reason I exist today, and my mom always made sure to remind me of that. This episode is rough and emotional but I hope it can also be loving. To papi's 65th birthday, I wish you were here. I wish I could hear your voice one last time. I wish things were different. To our un-complete puzzle with so many missing pieces, I love you and I miss you. Felicidades mi angel.

To hard conversations about our parents + our relationships with them. And the hard truth that comes with accepting who they are and the harm they have caused. To hard conversations about our parents who are no longer here. To our relationships with our parents that are un-complete puzzles with many missing pieces. To push through and involve and work on these relationships, if we feel this is something we want to do.

To papi's 65th birthday, te amo viejito.

To Grieving, Growing, and Glowing with Gisela (and Friends). Thank you for the love. Thank you for your support. I feel loved and supported always. Follow @gggwithgisela on Instagram to stay updated! ❤️