Kema Christian-Coates’s childhood was filled with “holiday men,” absentee fathers — including her own — who returned each year around Christmas only to disappear again. Her father’s absence left a hole in her life and the fear that she, like her mother and grandmother, would never find a man she could rely on. Today, we hear Kema’s story on realizing the power of her mother and grandmother’s presence in her life and on finding a lasting partnership.
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I was at a new friend's apartment.
Not too long ago where I told her that I haven't spoken to my.
Father in almost four years.
She turned to me and said, I feel so sorry for him.
I froze, naturally, because people normally say that they feel sorry for me when I bring up my dad.
Then she said, he's missing out on.
How special you are with love from Cartier.
Love now, and love is stronger than anything you feel.
A love will love, and I love you more than anything.
There's still love is love.
From the New York Times, I'm Anna Martin.
Welcome to modern Love and Happy Holiday week, everyone.
Since it's a holiday today, we've got an essay by Kima Christian Taylor about people she calls holiday men.
Kima's essay is read by Shayna Small.
I am the daughter of a holiday mandeh.
That's what my grandmother called the three generations of absentee fathers in our family.
Like clockwork, they would show up around Christmas and then disappear again to whereabouts unknown.
Growing up, I struggled with the absence of my own father.
My grandfather, a former holiday man, was trying to pay his penance to my grandmother, his first wife.