Fathers

Spent most of the day today contemplating… my father. I am blessed to have a great father whose warm smile and never failing encouragement has made me what I am today. None is perfect neither is my dad and we have some disagreements too – but at the end of day the good outweighs the negative.

Today was Father’s Day. Most Father’s Day have been filled with laughter, phone calls and cheer. Not living on the same continent is rough but our hearts know how to connect. This Father’s Day was somber; he was just diagnosed with cancer recently and the news did cast a shadow. For a fairly very healthy person it came as a shock to all of the family.

Just as in many things we never think we will loose things and people we love. Things have a way of seeming to be forever and maybe that is just how it seems to me. My mind keeps slipping back to my childhood and memories of my dad. I am a daddy’s girl – always wanted to hang out with him and be like him. A clear memory from past says a lot and has set a tone in my life. I was a child maybe 8 or 9 yrs old. That summer I recall visiting villages in rural Turkey. Dad seemed to knew everyone… holding his hand tightly, keeping up with his life filled fast pace, and saying hello to strangers was fascinating. We made a stop at a dirt floor home where my dad was smiling, greeted, and hugged his friend, strangers to me. They brought us tea as it is custom. I quietly asked him why were we here. I was a brat and I was uncomfortable sitting on just a carpet on the floor, did not want to drink the tea. He gently said ‘they lost a family member. we love all beings, no matter rich or poor, or whatever religion. drink the tea.‘. This is how he set his mark in my mind and heart. Best parents show you how to live and BE.

This Father’s Day all I wish for is to have my father live to an old ripe age. I maybe too old to sit on his lap now, but want to sit in his presence and listen to his stories as long as I can.

Please send a positive thought, a warm smile, and healing thoughts towards a good man, a stranger to you, a great dad to me, and a friend to many in need and otherwise.