MOLLY DATILLO TURNED 24 this week. Normally the news of a 24-year old’s birthday isn’t news, but since Molly has been missing for several months now, I can’t help but think about her this week.
Family and friends released balloons in Madison on Molly’s birthday to remember her and to remind the rest of us that the search never stops. Some family members still travel to Indianapolis to distribute flyers with Molly’s photo on them, hoping that someone saw something.
A young woman from Alabama has been missing on the island of Aruba for nearly three weeks now. She went to the island paradise (I’ve been there twice, and it’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen) with her classmates to celebrate their high school graduation, and suddenly she comes up missing from the beach.
Her parents were asked the other day at what point they pack up and head back to Alabama. The girl’s parents told the reporter that going home without their daughter has never entered their mind.
Recently a woman who works at a large store in Florence, Kentucky was discovered to be a girl who had run away from home nine years ago after getting into an argument with her mother over her grades in school.
Everyone thought she had been kidnapped and was dead — but her family never gave up hope of finding her.
And last week they did.
Fathers Day is Sunday, and in the madness of work and obligations and other “stuff”; sometimes I’m guilty of not making sure that my daughters know that I love them and I care for them and that if necessary I would lay down my life for them.
I hope that they know that there is no problem too big for dad to at least take a stab at handling. That they realize that what seem to be big issues in their young lives aren’t always so big when held up to adults.
So Sunday is Fathers Day and I’m sure my girls will make sure that the day doesn’t pass without letting me know that they think I’m a great dad. It won’t be isolated to my house, dads all over the county will have the same experience with their kids.
Every so often we need to remember to tell them that they’re great kids, too.
“Do your job. Love your kids.”
Try and not get those two confused.