Family ties

During this terrifying event of the January earthquake in Haiti, I have learned extensive details about my friend. After 17 years of friendship I had no idea that my friend did not know her father until age 18. It's heart breaking to know that a young woman missed out on having a relationship with her father because her mother's family didn't approve of him. According to her mother's family, her father was "only a cop" he was a general or captain in the army service. Several families deny young children of building a relationship with their father because of this nonsense. My friend is currently trying to reconnect with her father and is in the process of trying to get him a visa to live in the US. Her father was severely affected by the earthquake, he is currently ill and is living in front of what used to be his home. This is a valuable lesson that a child should not be purposely kept away from his/her father.