i am my father's daughter

I realized I haven't written anything for the past week. I still find it difficult to sort through my thoughts with the nostalgia still looming over me. I've been better though. No more tears, just happy memories. For those of you wondering what I am talking about, my family came to visit and it will be almost two weeks since they left.



Everyday, I think about my parents and how grateful I am for them. Just thinking about them makes me tear up. I realized it's father's day on Sunday so I think it would be timely for me to write about my papa.



My papa is a simple man. He came from humble beginnings. And even now that he has accomplished so much and achieved what he could only dream of before, he remains grounded and is the most down to earth person I know. I remember growing up, he was not the type who spoiled us with toys, instead he lavished us with amazing stories of his childhood. He didn't do baby talk with us, instead he talked to us like adults and let us speak our minds. He gave us his time and his attention. Too much attention I thought when I was younger. He taught us that we needed to work hard for what we wanted and that saving money was just as important. He always says, it's not enough that you earn money, you also have to be smart about spending it and learn to save.

My papa is one of the most generous people I know. He always shares what he has. Not just his money but also his time, his wisdom and even his sense of humor. He's not the type to shop for gifts and he never buys anything (except maybe cars and real estate ) and so he never really gave us material presents. But he was never short of showering us with his "words of wisdom" . One of his greatest gifts and most important lesson he taught me that I find practical to this day is, it's hard to wait for other people to change but you have the ability to change yourself and make things better. This is my great secret for staying happily married too.

We don't always agree on things but we agree to disagree. One thing we have in common is our fondness for watching movies. Back when we still lived in Manila, the Mister and I would visit my parents' house at least three times a week for a movie night with papa. While they were here this summer, we did movie night almost every night. My papa has a thing for remembering lines from movies and using them when he gives his "talks". Our top three favorite movies to watch together: 1. Aga and Leah's Sana'y Maulit Muli 2. Meet Joe Black 3. Notting Hill. It's funny how much our lives have been influenced by fictional movie characters.

My papa is also a prayerful man. In his speech during our wedding, he said that he had come to terms with the fact that he would eventually hand me over to another man and so he always prayed to God to send me a wise and loving man. And because my father is a good man, God answered his prayer and sent me the Mister. Another one of my father's best gifts to me.





Papa was such a role model and he had big shoes to fill. I'm grateful that I found all the admirable qualities of my papa in the Mister. Like my papa, the Mister is smart, generous, simple, hardworking, has a wonderful sense of humor and is an amazing father.

Like a typical male, my papa is not very vocal about his emotions but he has his way of "telling" us he loves us. While they were here, he carried around a bottle of virgin coconut oil in his pocket at all times. It's his cure all oil, one of his few favored possesions. He puts in in his hair, his face, his red itchy spots and his sore muscles. When they went home, I was surprised to see that little bottle quarter-full still in our bathroom. He left it. When I talked to him on the phone he said he left it for Bud. He knew Bud got a lot of scratches and bruises from playing so he said I should use it to heal Bud's bumps. Just remembering it makes me teary eyed.

I was not always the easiest daughter but when I got married I found a new appreciation for my parents. When I became a mother, I was even more grateful for them. My papa has always been a great father but now he is an even more inspiring grandpa. I love my papa to pieces.

So here's to my papa and the Mister, my two favorite fathers in the world! Happy Father's Day! Cheers!