Missing you Daddy

Thanks for helping me find my balance

This Sunday marks yet another Father’s Day…the day which reminds us all that how lucky we are to have a father figure around us. We celebrate by giving them gifts, spending time with them, playing sports, enjoying movies together etc but my case is a bit different though. My father is in Merchant Navy and his job doesn’t allow him to be home all year. For many, it may seem normal or not a big deal because at the end of the day, he is doing that for our well-being and I do agree. But yet sometimes, especially when Father’s Day, birthdays, and other auspicious occasions are around the corner, I do feel a tad bit of emptiness somewhere inside me. This has made me realize the sorrow of children whose fathers are away from them…at the border protecting us, doing jobs in another city, too far away to reach home or not alive anymore.

I always think about my father’s plight…how would he be feeling right now? He has nobody of family around to talk to...what would he be thinking? And then his respect in my eyes just builds up more and more. It’s really not easy to leave your family and go on a job for months...without seeing them. Only their memories and photographs serve as a contact between you and them.

Talking about Pakistan, what I have observed is that Father’s Day is not much of an event here unlike Mother’s Day. Yes we do have ticker messages running on television screen all day and morning shows honoring fathers but it’s still not as huge as Mother’s day. Why is this discrimination? Isn’t father as much of an important person as a mother is? I remember an incident where I was discussing this issue with a friend and she said that because heaven lies below mother’s feet, she should be respected more but my argument is that isn’t father the door to heaven???

One of the questions asked in exams or even today in companies is that who is your role model? Now for many, the answer maybe people like Richard Branson, Steve Jobs etc but sometimes it’s a bit closer to home…its our father…the person who has inspired us to walk and maintain the balance so that we may not fall and face what’s coming up front.

For me personally there is a lot I want to thank my Dad for. A blog…a book…or anything is not enough to tell what he has done for me and for my siblings. I am eternally thankful to my Dad and try to let him know of my appreciation throughout the year. Because after all, parents don’t need a special day once a year to let them know just how much you care about them…just remembering to let them know from time to time is all that’s needed.