Me and Dad. I think was just a few months old here...
When I received the invitation from Luz de Jesus (President of the Philippine Association of Secretaries) to speak during Father’s Day at her church Amazing Grace and Love Missions Fellowship in Marikina, I jumped at it. This was my opportunity to tell people just how great my Dad was. Here goes….
LESSONS FROM DAD
I was blessed to have one of the best Dads a girl could ask for. He was in his mid 50s when I was born – kind of old, but because he was a discliplined American military man, he was strong and fit.
Because Dad was 2 generations older than me and had served in World War 2, we did have a gap between us, but he tried to bridge that gap by passing on his wisdom and life’s lessons to me.
And now, I pass them on to you.
Dad and Me (learning how to swim) in the pool at Army Navy Club.
Lesson #1 Dad taught me how to pray.
I remember when I was 4 or 5 Dad taught me this prayer – Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. But if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.
We would say this prayer every night together before bedtime and I don’t know about you but that’s deep prayer for a 5 year old – I mean, it talks about DEATH!
But my Father knew a thing or two about death after surviving WW2 and becoming a decorated hero for America.
I remember asking my Dad if that would ever happen to me – that I might die before I wake and he said, no darling, God put me here on earth to keep you safe.
Dad protecting me and Abby from a wild animal!
Lesson #2 Dad was my protector on earth.
There was one time we were in Cartimar. I don’t remember how old I was but I was very little – not yet in school. We were shopping for something – in those days Cartimar was like Megamall.
As we were approaching our dark blue Volkswagen some crazy snatcher grabbed my Dad’s watch and ran off. Dad picke me up, threw me in the car and told me DON’T MOVE. Then he ran off to chase down the perpetrator. I had never seen him move so fast. It was then that I realized how scary my Dad was – he was not a man to mess around with.
So there I was sitting quietly trying to be brave but feeling scared because I was alone. Thankfully, Dad did not catch the thief because I know he would have beaten up the guy to a pulp.
Dad and Mom at my Girl Scout Investiture at St. Scho
Lesson #3 Books are Your Best Friends.
Dad instilled a love for books and knowledge in me. We would spend afternoons hanging out in the Library of the Army Navy Club in Luneta. I would be in the children’s books section and would lose myself in the beautifully illustrated pages of a book.
Dad always said that the Bible was the number one book in the world. After that were the writings of Shakespeare. I remember, when I was about 7 or 8, we would read scenes out of Shakespeare after dinner. I didn’t quite understand the English of Shakespeare, I was ONLY 8 years old! So Dad would explain the scene to me and my sister who was 3 years younger. It was FUN because Dad had a such a big voice and was a good actor. By the age of 9 I could boast that my favorite Shakespearean was the Tempest.
Dad was also big on maps (see behind him) and taught me geography so my internal GPRS system is tops!
Dad taught me how to love books and for that I am thankful. Although I did not graduate from college, my voracious reading combined with God’s favor have brought me to jobs where a college education is a requirement. Today, I am a writer, a news presenter, an English conversation teacher and a public speaker. God is good!
Lesson #4 – Dad taught me that Love and Truth can break bondages.
My Dad started taking good care of himself after I was born. Although he was physically tough, thanks to the military, he had some bad habits – he was a 3 pack a day smoker and an alcoholic. His drinking was such a serious issue – he would get drunk everyday and his personality would change. He would be violent and hurt Mom. The next morning – he would not remember a thing but the bruises on Mom told a different story.
Dad loved me and Mom (and Abby too when she was subsequently born) SO much that he changed his ways...
But it was a TRUTHFUL word from a doctor that changed his life. After going through a check up, the doctor warned him that if he kept up his drinking and smoking, he would not live to see my 10th birthday.
That shocked him badly. And because of his deep and amazing LOVE FOR ME and MOM he went COLD TURKEY. He completely stopped. I was only 6 months old at the time. So to this day I have NO memory of ever seeing my Dad drunk or with a cigarette.
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The Titular Papers 