English Original
Our parents divorced when Karen was a toddler, and a few years later we were blessed with the best of a complicated world - a father and a stepfather. The situation became a bit confusing later on, especially when it was time for Karen to get married.
As sometimes happened in those days, long before shared custody and divorce mediation, we didn't maintain much contact with our natural father. It was hoped that our new stepfather, Gordon, would grow to be the apple of our eyes.
Gordon was, in fact, a wonderful man. He accepted us as his children and went on to nurture, counsel, and play a major part in raising my sister and me. He was the humor in an otherwise dry existence, the fun where there often wasn't any. He was the true keeper of our hearts, with our best interests always at the center of his own.
I maintained ties with my natural father, too, although initially strained. I saw the situation for what it was and did my best to mend all wounds. Gordon supported this whole-heartedly. Karen, being years younger than me, grew up without really knowing our natural father.
When Karen was in high school and I was married and living far away, we went through a second divorce (our mother and Gordon's). This time, I was careful to maintain ties. Gordon remained the father figure he'd always been and even became "Grandpa Gordon" to my firstborn. Karen and Gordon grew apart some but reestablished ties after her graduation.
Gordon eventually remarried. His new wife, Carol, understood the complications of our situation. When they both encouraged Karen to mend her severed ties with our dad, she bravely set about renewing a relationship she barely remembered.
Communication with Dad was, at its best, on the surface. We knew he loved us and he knew we loved him, but the words were seldom spoken aloud. And none of us ever mentioned our relationship with Gordon.
Before Karen announced her engagement, she voiced her concerns: "I want Gordon to give me away when I get married."
"Mm-hmm," I replied.
"But I want Dad to give me away, too. I don't want to hurt either one of them."
I knew Gordon would understand. My father, however, would be a little harder to convince. "Let me see what I can do."
A letter, I decided, felt right. Gordon, of course, was privy to my plan and supported it.
Dear Dad,
We were children when this all started, and the situation was completely out of our hands. As adults now, we need and want you to be our father. We love you and want you to be a part of our lives.
But Gordon is a part of our lives, too. He has been a good man, an honest man, and has done everything a father would do for his children.
Karen is getting married in a few months. It would mean the world to her, and to me, if you would walk her down the aisle - together with Gordon.
Loving Gordon doesn't mean in any way that we love you any less. There is plenty of room for two wonderful fathers in our lives. Gordon always encouraged contact with you, never spoke a word against you or undermined our feelings for you. We respect the fact that you never voiced negative feelings about Gordon.
Give this some thought. Remember both Karen and I love you and want our family ties to be restored. Remember that in your absence, we established strong family ties with Gordon, and it would be unfair to all of us to expect that to stop.
It would be a beautiful sight to watch Karen walking down the aisle on her wedding day, flanked by two wonderful fathers. It would be an answer to prayer.
I love you.
Kim
A couple of weeks later, Karen received a phone call from Dad.
"So where do I go to get measured for my tux?"
In late August, Karen walked down the aisle with a handsome father on each side of her. They wore identical tuxedos with matching smiles and radiated the same fatherly love and joy.
The blessing for Karen and me was twofold. In addition to ending years of confusion and estrangement, we learned to share the joy of being the proud daughters of two extraordinary fathers.
中文翻译
父母离婚时，凯伦还是个蹒跚学步的幼童。几年后，我们在这个复杂的世界里得到了最好的馈赠——一位生父和一位继父。但后来情况变得有些令人困惑，尤其是在凯伦即将结婚的时候。
在那个年代，远未普及共同抚养权和离婚调解，我们与生父的联系并不多。大家都希望我们的新继父戈登能成为我们眼中的珍宝。
戈登确实是个了不起的人。他视我们如己出，养育、教导我们，在我和妹妹的成长中扮演了重要角色。他是我们平淡生活中的幽默，是无趣时刻的欢乐。他是我们内心真正的守护者，总是把我们最大的利益放在他心中的首位。
我也与生父保持着联系，尽管起初关系紧张。我正视现实，尽力弥合所有伤痕。戈登全心全意地支持我这样做。凯伦比我小好几岁，在成长过程中并不真正了解我们的生父。
凯伦上高中时，我已结婚并远居他乡，我们经历了第二次离婚（母亲和戈登）。这一次，我小心翼翼地维系着与戈登的联系。戈登一如既往地扮演着父亲的角色，甚至成了我第一个孩子的“戈登爷爷”。凯伦和戈登的关系一度疏远，但在她毕业后又重新建立了联系。
戈登最终再婚了。他的新婚妻子卡罗尔理解我们家庭的复杂情况。当他们俩都鼓励凯伦修复与生父断绝的关系时，她勇敢地开始重建一段她几乎已不记得的亲情。
我们与父亲的交流，往好了说，也只是流于表面。我们知道他爱我们，他也知道我们爱他，但这些话很少被大声说出来。我们也从未提及我们与戈登的关系。
在凯伦宣布订婚之前，她吐露了她的担忧：“我想让戈登在我结婚时把我交出去。”
“嗯，”我回答。
“但我也想让爸爸把我交出去。我不想伤害他们中的任何一个。”
我知道戈登会理解。然而，要说服我的父亲会难一些。“让我看看我能做些什么。”
我决定写一封信，这感觉是对的。戈登当然知晓并支持我的计划。
亲爱的爸爸：
这一切开始时我们还是孩子，情况完全超出了我们的掌控。如今作为成年人，我们需要并希望您成为我们的父亲。我们爱您，希望您成为我们生活的一部分。
但戈登也是我们生活的一部分。他一直是个好人，一个诚实的人，做了父亲会为孩子做的一切。
凯伦几个月后就要结婚了。如果您能和戈登一起陪她走过婚礼的通道，这对她、对我都将意味着整个世界。
爱戈登绝不意味着我们对您的爱有任何减少。我们的生命中有足够的空间容纳两位了不起的父亲。戈登总是鼓励我们与您联系，从未说过一句反对您的话，也从未削弱我们对您的感情。我们尊重您从未对戈登表达过负面感受的事实。
请考虑一下。请记住凯伦和我都爱您，并希望恢复我们的家庭纽带。请记住，在您缺席的日子里，我们与戈登建立了牢固的家庭纽带，期望这一切停止对我们所有人都是不公平的。
看着凯伦在婚礼当天，由两位了不起的父亲陪伴着走过通道，那将是一幅美丽的景象。那将是祈祷的回应。
我爱您。
金
几周后，凯伦接到了爸爸的电话。
“那么，我去哪里量我的燕尾服尺寸？”
八月下旬，凯伦走在婚礼的通道上，两旁各有一位英俊的父亲。他们穿着相同的燕尾服，带着相称的微笑，散发着同样的父爱与喜悦。
对凯伦和我而言，这份祝福是双重的。除了结束多年的困惑和疏远，我们还学会了分享作为两位非凡父亲的骄傲女儿的喜悦。