Kirk Franklin Met Dad Who Abandoned Him as Child Weeks Before His Death

Kirk Franklin didn't have an easy life growing up, and he's been open about that through his blogs. Now, he opens up about how he was abandoned by his parents at 4-years-old, before meeting his dad a few weeks before he passed away.

While some would choose to wander and live life recklessly after experiencing such misfortunes at a young age, Kirk decided to rise up from it and become a better man to make sure he didn't have to experience hardships for the rest of his life.

However, before he got to a better place, he first had to experience being abandoned by his mom at 4-years-old, and later on, only reuniting with his estranged father a couple of weeks before he passed away.

A Vague Memory

Kirk vaguely remembers his mom. This is because he and his half-sister were put up for adoption. By the time he heard from his mother again, he was the legal child of 64-year-old Gertrude, who was his mom's great aunt.

He and his sister were about to be picked up by their mom to go to the state fair of Texas. They were way too excited, dressed up a few hours earlier before waiting by the porch the entire afternoon.

Forgetting the Trauma

Despite knowing they were abandoned and the trauma of not having both parents in their lives, they forgot about it all because they were about to spend time with her.

Unfortunately for them, she never came.

Likewise, Franklin lived his life without knowing his father, whom he met and forgave just a few weeks before passing away.

On Meeting his Dad

His dad, Dwight Allen, was terminally ill. Kirk got an anonymous call about his dad who wished to see him. At the time, the gospel artist was filled with hatred for this man who put him up for adoption.

"I’ve lived my entire life hating this man. He and my biological mother gave me up for adoption, and it left me never feeling good enough....to this very day. I took my hate for him and used it as fuel to be the best father I could be for my own."

On Strength, Resilience, and Forgiveness

However, what his biological parents ultimately taught him was resilience, strength, and forgiveness. Franklin's better side ended up overpowering his doubts and fears, choosing to forgive.

"How can I preach what I don’t practice. So I flew to Houston yesterday to do that. It’s painful, it’s a process, but how disappointed I would be in myself for this man to leave this earth without being forgiven."