I'm turning 21 this September and it's exactly how many years my papa has been a seaman. There's never a complete year with him around so it's a hit and miss on important occasions like birthdays, Christmas / New Year, graduation or recognition day, father's day / mother's day. It's sad but I guess I've come to live with this setting. I'm not "used to it". I'm focusing on that vision of a complete happy family every single day in the coming years instead of crying over something I cannot change at the moment.
I only have the chance to be with my papa every six to eight months in a three-month duration. I can't remember piggy back rides or a day at the zoo with him, or getting to talk to him freely exposing my secrets and thoughts about life, my friends or my day at school, but I surely remember sitting on his lap and giving him my the best massage he'll ever have every single time he asks for it. I remember making him coffee and making his favorite tripple-decker peanut butter and sandwich-spread sandwich. I remember receiving cards from him that play a simple melody of happy birthday and that would be enough to make me smile. I remember being always excited about him going home because of the bulk of swiss and belgian chocolates. Despite the lack of tangible memories with him, I still hold an important treasure he has given me that cost his sweat, blood and time with us - education. If he did not work abroad, I wouldn't have studied at Holy Spirit School, St. Theresa's College, and De La Salle University. My sister also wouldn't be able to share the same path with me. We were well provided for and despite the distance, he always communicated with us through letters and over time, through email and yahoo messenger / skype. Whenever he spends three months with us, we were emotionally stuffed. Sometimes it may not seem enough because he probably missed hearing my first word or my listening to my first story or the first song I sang, but there are more important things I guess...like him being very gentle in embracing my maturity, and valuable lessons about life he wants us to always remember.
He is the most humble person I know, and his patience is far stretched to the beyond maximum limit. He is amazingly street smart and well-versed with the different types of people you'll meet and interact with. He always has heart and life saving rules that literally save us from getting hurt if we follow them. He is very gentle and kind, understanding and slow to anger... He is always full of smiles and love.
It's father's day today and he is not with us again. Perhaps today is the day we honor our fathers in a more special way, but in my case it's thinking deeper and being grateful for being blessed with my papa, even if we can't celebrate his awesomeness.
Thank you Lord, for papa.
Thank you Lord, for being our father.
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