Dad Showed Up To My Graduation Straight From A Night Shift—Covered In Soot, Eyes Bloodshot, Pride Glowing Through The Grime

He showed up at my graduation looking like he’d just stepped out of a furnace. His uniform was stained, his boots dusted in soot, and his eyes were bloodshot with exhaustion. Yet there he was, grinning like he’d slept for ten hours and nothing in the world could touch him. His arms were around me before I could blink, and he hugged me so hard I nearly dropped my diploma. Someone snapped a photo—me with my cap slightly askew, clutching my diploma with one hand, and my dad’s greasy handprint smeared on my gown. I was smiling, yes. But underneath… CONTINUE READING…