Papa in his 'JR' squinting eyes look..haha
We only give gifts to Papa on two occasions- his birthday, and Father's day!, and today is that time of the year again. We usually give him what he wants (shoot!, no diggity), or what we think he needs, depending on our budget. We only started this after Mama died, because aside from the greater financial freedom that came with going to college far away from home, I guess it's more because of the greater appreciation for those who remain, that we develop after the loss of a loved one.
We celebrated the recent Mother's day that passed with a lunch date among us siblings here in Manila while Papa's in La Union for work and other things. We thought we were going to do the same for Father's day, but guess who came to celebrate with us?, or better yet, guess who made the effort of enduring a 7-hour travel to be with us on this day? No other than the main man himself, Papa! It's supposed to be his day (and we hope we made him feel that it was his day) but we felt like we're the ones who got a treat with a much anticipated visit from him! How we miss him so much! And he did not come empty-handed, he brought lots of our 'bilins' with him- food primarily that we can stock on the refrigerator, easy-peasy ready to heat meals for her studying and working girls:)
better...in his usual smiling self
But Papa has always been like that....(I can't believe I'm in tears just thinking about what to write next...haha) He has always been selfless when it comes to us, his children, always thinking about what we want, what we need, and what would make us happy. We are thankful for the blessing of two mothers in our lives, but we are also thankful, and now more grateful I guess, that amidst all those changes and adjustments, gains and losses; one man who loves us so so much remained. I look and think about him, and I see a man who has never left our side, or vacated his position behind our backs- he's our earthly reminder that though changes are inevitable, we could always hold on to someone who's love and support will never fail us. I guess one big reason why we trust in God the Father so much is because He has blessed us with Papa; it works in a direct relationship, our love for God increases as our love for Papa does too:)
Papa at the grocery- one of the few things he's not very good at:)
And this is not one of my biased blahgs, because my father definitely belongs to a rare breed of men, those whom you'd consider as a big, worthy catch:) It was him who first told me that there are two kinds of people who succeed in this world: the intelligent, and the strategic (for the lack of a better term; the only translation I can think of, "madiskarte" in his own words); and he, according to him, belongs to the latter. I say that my Papa is both and a lot more. He wasn't a good student but he certainly learned and understood what he needed to remember. His degree alone, BS Agriculture major in Animal Husbandry (we even joke about it at times), is an unusual choice but it's what he enjoys doing and he's good at those things-farming, taking care of chickens, cows, goats; even though he claims that the only things that he remembers from college are the scientific names of citrus fruits:) His involvement in the tobacco industry is his main work but he juggles that with planting rice and tending to his animals. My friends and classmates are always amazed that we have chickens, cows and goats within our compound and they play a significant part in our family's income because as Papa has put it, "Kulang ang sweldo niya sa lalakas daw naming kumain :)" We aren't rich but I am proud to say that with Papa as our provider and with the blessings and grace of God, we never lacked anything in our lives. He's kuripot (thrifty's mild..haha) in a lot of things except food but he's very generous, and it was him who taught us by example to be content, to place value in the right things, and to share our blessings.
But aside from being a good provider, our Papa's the sweetest, most caring, thoughtful, loving, and most supportive father we could ever ask for. An all-girl brood suits him (although he'd surely do great too had he been gifted with sons) because he's very expressive of his love for us- both in words and in actions. Aside from the iloveyou's, the hugs, and the kisses, he makes sure that we're always well fed and more than comfortable. Mama was a very good cook but in her absence, Papa learned how to cook our favorite dishes for us. As the need arises, Papa would also wash our clothes for us, clean the house, and do house chores that none of our neighbors' fathers do. He can even compete with women when it comes to getting the best deals in the market! He's also a very good handyman (hats off!) and we're always amazed with the way he does the things we ask of him:) On top of it all, he's got a big sense of humor!...and that's where I'm going to end the positive adjectives for now, sa sobrang dami my blogging hours won't suffice...
He has his share of imperfections too though, and in the same way that we have hurt him because of the things we said or did, he too was the cause behind some of our heartaches and tears. But even in those few situations that we don't agree with each other, we could never question how much Papa loves us. He loves us like no other, and so in our own ways, we, his daughters, also try our best to make him feel that we love him very much. We are all Papa's girls, and as such we'll always be:) Thank you Papa for being the best father that you are. I'll probably never run out of stories that boast of how blessed we are by God for having you in our lives. One post dedicated to you will sure not be enough (so there's a lot more to come in the future) but we pray that for the many many more years in your life, we'd be able to show you how much we truly love and appreciate you. We love you so much and after God, you will always be the main man in our lives. We hope to make you proud as we pursue the dreams you have helped and inspired us to achieve:) We also pray to find a life partner like you in our lives (which is quite a feat but I hope not); until then, you have nothing to worry about:) We'll choose carefully, and rest assured that your opinion will be an important consideration:)
Happy happy Father's Day Papa!!! We love you very much!
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