Anyone who thinks that an empty space holds no significance, hasn't really had to deal with an empty space. To most people, an empty space is nothing more than an area of air with no solid matter contained within. In some cases, that might just be the case. Then there are the other cases. In cases like mine, an empty space is so much more than just air. Depending on the location of the empty space, it can become the most significant thing in your life. I have had an empty space in my life since day one, and that empty space has impacted me for the last thirty years. That empty space used to cause me anger, pain, a lot of tears and disappointment. There were also moments of false hope, emotional distress and jealousy (I could post on each one of those emotions individually in regards to how they relate to empty spaces, but I digress for now). Now that I'm older, I see that that empty space has also made me headstrong, compassionate, and independent, among other things. That empty space caused women to do things that weren't expected to do and in 1990 turn a 12 year old boy into a man in about as long as it took him to get home from school one day (another story for another day. Let's just say Child Services wouldn't be happy).
If you haven't figured it out by now, the empty space I'm referring to is the space on my birth certificate where it says father's name. It's blank, but I never used that as a crutch or an excuse. My mother worked two jobs to make sure that I didn't want for anything growing up. She didn't slack off and she didn't allow me to slack off either. I learned not to let obstacles get in your way and if I put my mind to it, nothing can stop me from getting to where I want to be. I've learned many other lessons from my mother and because of the circumstances I grew up under. Seeing how other people say I turned out, I don't think I would change a thing if I could do it again (except, maybe the part where my mother worked two jobs). Over the last thirty years, I have realized that any man with a penis can have a child. They also say that it takes a real man to be a father. The way I see it, a real woman can be a father too if she's put in that position. I LOVE YOU MOM!!!!!
