"A Letter to My Father: Love, Legacy, and Grace"

Dear Daddy,

As I sit here writing this letter, your baby girl chokes back tears... not from sadness alone, but from a deep will of love and gratitude that words can barely hold.

I’m writing to you now not just as the little girl who ran to your arms when you walked through the door, not just as the young lady you left on this earth, but as the woman I have become.

I’m writing as the woman you helped raise — the woman who now runs a business called Aswan, a reflection of the grace and wisdom you lived by.

Growing Up in Sumter County

Daddy, life with you in our small town of Sumter County, Alabama, during the 1980s through 2005 was pure magic.

Picture it: dirt roads winding through fields of peas and corn, church bells ringing on Sunday mornings, porch swings creaking as folks waved hello. Everybody knew everybody. Kids played until dusk under the watchful eye of the whole neighborhood.

The rhythm of life was simple — yet rich beyond measure.

When you came home from the road on weekends, your briefcase in hand, I ran to you like you were the sun itself returning. Even a trip to the next town to pay bills was an adventure because it meant I could be by your side.

Saturdays were for cleaning up the house first, then heading to town. You taught me how to write my first check when I was just in middle school — lessons that still guide my life today.

Some weekends we worked in the yard, or you’d be greasing the axles on your big truck. No matter what we were doing, we did it together.

My First Love

They say a father is a little girl’s first love — and that is my truth.

Watching you leave every Sunday after church broke my young heart. I’d watch your 18-wheeler pull away, gears shifting, shaking the truck as you drove off to load your next haul.

I’d cry until my little soul felt empty, and Mama would try to help me manage my feelings. I just missed you so much.

When you took a pay cut to drive locally, to be home with us more, that was love in action.

You weren’t just my father — you became a father figure to many. Your heart was wide open, your generosity unmatched.

You taught me about grace by how you cared for your own mother, despite not having been raised by her. You showed me love in its purest form. You taught me that giving was not about what others deserved but about what was in our hearts to give.

Your Wisdom

As I grew older, your wisdom deepened. You always told me life required three things:

👉🏾 Common sense
👉🏾 A little education
👉🏾 And a whole lot of GOD

I have carried those words with me every single day.

The Hardest Goodbye

Daddy, I thought I would have more time.

When you were diagnosed with prostate cancer, I didn’t fully understand the weight of it. I remember you asking me to print articles so you could educate your social club about the disease. You were always teaching, always giving.

You told the church, "Don’t worry about me. My business is fixed on earth and fixed with the Lord."
At 21, I thought surely this was just a routine procedure.

But the day you left us, the pain was indescribable. I wasn’t prepared for death — I was prepared to bring you home to recover.

You leaving this world shattered me.

The Woman I Am Today

Daddy, I want you to know this:

I made it.

I graduated, went through the police academy, became a mother to a beautiful daughter, purchased cars, changed careers, and today, I own Aswan G.B.L.T.

And every step of this journey has been touched by your spirit.

Why Aswan Exists

Daddy Aswan was born from watching you.

You gave grace to so many.
You were trusted by all who knew you.
Your heart was as noble as any I have ever witnessed.

You remind me of a swan gracefully above the water, yet paddling with strength and unseen effort below.

I vow to honor you by offering not just products, but healing. I will not push false promises. I will educate and provide herbs that support life’s vitality — because that is what you would want.

Prostate Cancer & Black Men in 2025

Daddy, I want our community to be better informed.

Here is what we know in 2025:

• Black men are 1.7 times more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than white men.
• They are over 2 times more likely to die from it.
• Black men often face barriers to early screening and care.

(Fast Facts Cancer in African American & Black People, 2025)

Through Aswan, I will continue to raise awareness.

Closing

Daddy, it has now been 20 years since you transitioned. I thank God for every one of those 21 years we shared in this realm — and I thank Him even more that your spirit still walks with me today.

I do not move through life alone. I move with God, with you, and with our ancestors.

Every formula I make, every tincture I sell — I pray you smile down upon it.

Daddy, I love you deeper than any ocean.

Forever your baby girl,
Yolanda
Owner of Aswan G.B.L.T.

Kiss, Kiss, Hugs!

#LetterToMyFather #HonoringMyFather #BlackMensHealth #ProstateCancerAwareness #BlackSouthernStories #AswanGBLT #GraceBeautyLoveTrust #CommunityWellness #BlackHerbalist #HealingThroughHerbs #LivingThroughLegacy #FathersLove #SouthernRoots #MensHealthMatters #SpiritualJourney #FamilyLegacy