Portrait of a Father

50 year-old Raymond Cowan from Long Island's spent most of his life in and out of prison. He says his frequent disappearances took a major toll on his family.

“I obviously abandoned my wife,” he said. “The financial strain, the emotional strain; my children yearning for me, what happened? I come into their live, spend some time with them, they bond with me; and then I walk out on them.”

Cowan's been home from prison a year now, and says he's doing everything he can to never go back.

“I want to stay employed,” he said. “I want to stay free, I want to stay available to my wife and my children.”

Cowan found help with the Osborne Association. The group helps incarcerated people transition back into society and family life, something Cowan says has not been easy.

“I felt funny, as a man, depending on my wife when I know she’s had the burden of my children all this long,” he said. “Now I’m coming home to be an extra burden?”

Cowan works a custodial job now and says he's grown closer with his children. He says Father's Day will serve as a reminder of how far their relationship has come.

“They didn’t know me like they know me today,” he said. “The comfort wasn’t there like it is today. They’re aware, ‘This is my father; he’s a loving man who’s trying to move forward.’”

Cowan says he'll celebrate Father's Day weekend with his two daughters at Osborne's Father's Day Dance.