Just wanted to wish all the Dads out there a Happy Fathers Day.

Um, I guess I'll write the 'Ode to My Dad' now.

Now before my dad got with my mom, he was a HUGE playboy. And a stud. I would have to admit that he was a pretty good looking lad, tearing it up and breaking hearts in the Philippines. Every pic I've seen of my dad from that time, he always has some mischievous twinkle in his eye (that's where I get it from). You could tell he was a wanted man. He met my mom, but unfortunately, she moved to the States. But he kept at it, and they had a long distance relationship, and won her heart. After he married my mom, he moved over to the States.

When I was born, I was the ultimate daddy's girl. There's a million pics of me and my dad, and my dad always has this huge smile. But as the years passed, looking at the pictures, he smiled less and less. Having to support a family of three, and not having the life that I know he envisioned when he first moved here, I know that it has probably been tough for him. Now, it's a rare thing to see my father laugh. He has so many burdens that he has taken upon himself, like taking care of our mom, retiring from a job he loved, paying bills, fixing up the house, etc. When we see our dad smile, it's a big thing. When we see him laugh, we're ecstatic.

So more than anything, me and my sisters strive to make our father happy. It's a tough job, and many times, we've been in the doghouse when we haven't met his expectations. But we all know that he just wants us to be the best. He wants us to have a life that he and my mom worked so hard for us to have. He knows that inside, we have a potential that we can reach by working hard, being responsible, and not giving up.

Lately, my dad has been emailing his old highschool classmates, many of whom have also moved to the States and share similar stories. We've never seen him so happy. He's always quick to share a story from his youth. He spends hours on the internet writing letters to friends and talking on the phone. And he laughs more now. I think that he has learned that the weight of the world doesn't lie on his shoulders. That he isn't the only one who moved to a new country and felt the pressures to succeed. My mom is so happy that he isn't a brooding worrywart anymore. I don't know the last time he's given me the 'Christine, I'm so disappointed in you' look. It's one of the many times that I shout out to the heavens, 'Thank God for the Internet!' *wink*

So to my Daddy, I love you, and Happy Father's Day.

Posted by Yano at June 15, 2003 02:24 PM

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