Fathers and daughters

Today I was thinking about my dad as I think about him everyday and thought that I have to meet him right away. But unfortunately I cannot do that with the geographical distance but in my spirits I will always be close to him and he will be always close to me. He is the most generous and kind hearted person I have ever met. He has taught me so many things well most of the things I know. He is the best for me and my siblings and I am sure we all share that feeling. He has taught me a few of the following things about life :

1. Kindness and goodwill never go unrecognized and you have to be kind to people.
2. You have to give back to society whenever you can in whatever way you can.
3. You have to be more tolerant towards people who differ from you.
4. Take care of your family and do the best you can to provide them the best.
5. Take care of your parents.
6. Be ready to help out whenever there is need.
7. Share the knowledge that you have.
8. Keep a diary with good quotes about life and learning.
9. Write things down you learn them better that way.
10. Persistence is the key to success.
11. Aim high. Because you can miss the target if you aim high but aiming low is not an option.
12. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
13. You can become a doctor even with no money for school if you study hard.
14. Where there is a will there will be a way.
15. Love your family.
16. Don't sweat the small stuff.
17. Be open to other opinions and compromise when needed.
18. Welcome your guests with open arms and make them feel at home.
19. Make good friends and do your best to keep them.

These are just a few things that he has taught me. He is the best son for his parents and will always be the best father for all of us. He still worries about me after all these years. He still loves me more and more. He is my hero. He never made us feel that we did not have things. He is the one who taught me to love and appreciate good music. I still remember those days as a child when he used to turn our little tape recorder on and put cassettes that he had recorded of his favorite collection of songs and we would listen to it lying on the floor on weekends and afternoons. We still do that when we meet. That is something I want to teach my kids too. He has taught me to be adventurous. He has the most open hearted laughter that I have ever heard. He takes care of us and never asks for anything in return. I love you Pappa. I miss you and wish you were here with me and not so far away.

A Dad of a different kind :
My husband. When I got married I did not know about his qualities as a dad. Actually to tell you the truth I did not know much about him as a person too. It all happened too fast. But anyways what I do know is that he is the best dad for my kids. To see him with my kids is an absolute pleasure. He is a loving father to both of them. I would not be the mother that I am without him. There are days when I thank God for him being the patient guy that he is. When our daughter was born he had decided to change the way the world will work 20 years from then. He said that by that time guys will be getting married to girls and will be staying at the girls' parents' house instead of the other way around ... I was smiling and thinking how much he loves his daughter. Now we have a son and he loves him as much. He is there to play with them and teach them how to be a good person and still be strong enough to fight for what is right. He is teaching them to be strong-willed and respectful. He is teaching them patience and he makes time for them. To my daughter he is a can-do anything guy and knows everything about everything.
I love to see them both interact and I love to listen in their conversations about things and life. She is still not old enough to understand most of it but he still talks to her. I am glad that he was there when she smiled and cried and had her tantrums and loved her the best he could. I am glad he is a part of our lives . Happy father's day S.