Part four: Who is gbenjamin1956?

Gary Benjamin is my Dad and he is very smart.

My boss (Yezabel) said to me, "I know it was important to you that he be smart, but isn't it better to know that he has a good and kind heart like yours."
"Yes," I said, "but it is still great that he isn't dumb."

Gary Benjamin is my Dad. He is passionate, thinks deeply, feels even more deeply. He loves music and animals. He has seemingly never lost a childlike faith in the inherent goodness in all of us.

He sees value in every life and he seeks to show that to everyone he encounters.

He has the biggest smile and gives amazing hugs. He is earnest and forthright. His voice can command a room and his eyes can express the deepest kindness.

Honestly, when I talk to him it is like understanding more of myself. Finding that someone else in the world understands and sees it how I do has been overwhelming and amazing.

[Side note: I visited him in early August. Did a very not Mags thing and got on a plane and flew to meet him and Michelle and stay with them at their home in California. (See blog pause and presence for a bit about the travel part of that trip.)

At the end of October Anne and I traveled back to stay with them and see parts of California. Will write about these trips more soon.]

On my first visit one morning he said to me, "Mags you and I get what means to be immensely happy and deeply sad at the same time. There aren't many like us." Oof. So true. So very true.

I recognize that I have only just met him. I don't know all of the Gary evolutions that happened before we met. But I love who he is today from all the work he has done to become the best Gary he can. The best he can be for everyone.

If you met him, and I wish all of you could, you would find yourself smiling and giggling at his corny jokes. You would be amazed by his vast vocabulary and his deep intellect. His presence is HUGE.

$39, a mystery solved, multiple phone calls, 2 trips to California...

Gary Benjamin is my Dad. And he has taken to that role and reality in a way that you only ever see movie. Not a Lifetime movie, a Hallmark movie. Yeah, he is that cheesy, but so am I. 😄

A recent text:
"I will forever be blessed with the enormity of being your Dad. Your spirit is so beautiful and your heart so kind. No matter what happens...that is now forever confirmed and embraced by me. Praise the Lord for you...and the spirit you share every day to those that cross your path. Keep smiling Sweetheart...your love is contagious."

Thank you Dad for accepting me and this journey.

PS. Bonus!
Michelle is amazing. Incredibly kind, like whoa. She was so very good to me on the first visit. Listened to me and talked me down from a pretty bad anxious moment.