Family (Part 1)
“The greatest gift you can give someone, is the gift of self.”
For you, who have loved me from my birth till this present moment and will continue loving me for all the moments to come, I write this for you.
Papa,
You were my hero, my superman even before I knew superman.
There was not a person stronger than you, no wounds or illness could hold you down. You were ever steady in the face of pesky insects that would make my skin crawl. There was nothing too big, you couldn’t lift. No one too heavy, you couldn’t carry. You were not only the strongest person I knew, but also the smartest. How it is you knew all the answers to my homework, I will never know. You knew answers to questions I didn’t even know I had. You had stories about anything and everything. To top it all, you had a heart that loved without bounds.
1st Corinthians 13: 4–8
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it doesn’t not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails.”
Before I knew the love of Christ, I knew your love.
But with time, I saw you get hurt, I saw you get sick. I saw you lose your temper. I saw you lose hope. I saw you cry. I saw you get lost. I saw you when you found your way back. And I realized that you were not superman, just a man. A man who was once a boy. A man who makes mistakes. A man who is still learning, still growing. A man who loved and still loves only one woman. A man who has selflessly given so much of himself for this family he has built with that woman.
I have learned many things from you, but this one I will carry with me for as long as I live and will pass down to my kids in the future. You taught me the value of humility. I witnessed your transition from being a businessman to a contract worker to a house husband. Although it wasn’t easy and there were many tough days, I witnessed you gracefully let go of the things you couldn’t change, and accept your new found responsibilities without ever complaining. You did what you had to do as a husband and a father. This may not be the life you imagined you would have, but I hope you have no regrets of how it turned out.
There are many things I am sorry about, but I’m mostly sorry for not being a better daughter. There are even more things I am thankful for, but most of all, I’m thankful that you are my father. I want you to know that I love you, for all that you are.
Always,
Your daughter.