It's another Father's Day without my father. He passed away
twelve years ago while I was not at home. I was already a mother of four,
working at an office. It was that time in the morning when his nurse was about
to assist him in taking his medicines. Many years have gone, but I could still
feel the heartache.
There are many reasons why daughters should
celebrate Father's Day. First among them is that he is her first best
friend. Okay, maybe one of the first two best friends, since the mother will be
there first - at the womb and during childbirth. He would be at his wife's
bedside, looking at the baby. He could not get over his daughter's
beauty, wondering how he could sire such a beautiful creature. This is the
reason why the older brother becomes jealous of her.
The second reason is that he is the one who lets his
child see the world from a bigger perspective when she is still a toddler. He
takes her to places like parks and his friends' homes on his shoulders, or
perhaps riding on his neck, while he supports her legs that fall from both his
shoulders. "I'm taller than you, Papa", she says, "I can see
many people from here." And she could see other things from another angle,
so that she finally can grasp that each object is three-dimensional.
The third reason is that at his daughter's childhood, he
would be the knight in shining armor in her eyes. He can do anything. He is
strong and very capable. When she falls asleep on the couch, or simply would
not want to move because of sleepiness or tiredness, her father would scoop her
up and bring her to her bed, although it would take him more than ten steps to
get there. The father is his daughter’s first hero.
The fourth reason is that he would be sharing knowledge on what
the boys are doing, and how they will do it. He takes pride that his
daughter is learning things that her brothers must learn to do – carpentry, for
instance. He teaches her how to get along with boys, fight fairly with
them, and learn about winning and losing in spelling and in tug-of-war. “It’s
not the winning or the losing. It’s how you play the game.” He teaches her
about competition and equality at her young age.
The fifth reason is that he shows her how to have fun in simple occasions,
like going on a picnic or ‘excursion’ in nearby nature haunts. The first step is
preparing the food. He gets a live
chicken, grossly performs the killing process (something that will make her close or squint her eyes) and asks his daughter to help pluck the feathers. Then, he cooks
the chicken in coconut milk with some herbs, and as the cooking ends, asks his
daughter to be the taster. In the picnic area, there is enjoyment in sharing
the food together, eating with bare hands.
The sixth reason is that he shows her that anyone who loves can
hurdle difficulties. A strong typhoon that devastated homes, bridges and other infrastructure
is not a reason for a father to stay put in his remote work assignment. Even before the storm stops, he strives to
conquer the waves (in a motorized ‘banca’) and wind (roofs and broken branches
flying all around) so that he could immediately attend to his family’s needs at
home. He teaches his daughter courage amid storms.
The seventh reason is that he shows her that it is okay to fail
sometimes. “It is okay if you fail in your algebra class or get an incomplete
grade in your calculus class” (a wonder though, when her seatmate requests her
for some tutoring sometimes). Nothing can inspire her better than hearing
comforting words from her first two best friends showing support.
The eighth reason is that his responsibilities as a father does
not end when his daughter reaches a certain age or a certain station in life. He
escorts his daughter to the altar, and on the next day his mouth deforms, and
his limbs get weak because of a stroke. He does not inform his daughter, mindful
not to ruin her honeymoon. With a husband working abroad, her father acts in
his behalf when she gives birth to her second and third sons at the hospital. He
is also the kind of father who continues to support his daughter in her career,
cheering her on when times are tough, and even acting as her personal driver during
fieldwork.
My father has shown unconditional love, as our Father in heaven would
want him to do so that I could understand and be thankful of God’s mercy and
love.
Happy Father’s Day, Papa!
Happy Father’s Day, Lord
God! I pray that my Papa is enjoying
eternal happiness and peace in Your kingdom.
