The love of my Father

First of all I will like to wish a Happy Fathers Day to all the Fathers who are there for their children and for those to take care of the ones that love them as if they were their own. Congratulations.

I grew up with my fathers absence due to a few parental issues while I was developing into a young lady. Disregard the absence, I never doubted the love of my father. I used to see him once a year since I grew up in different countries and hours away while he stayed in San Francisco. Weekly phone conversations and typical, "I love you my little princess," quotes from my father helped me through the rough childhood I had growing away from my fathers presence.

Even with the  distance, he was still there in spirit. He has been the man in my life and the one man that will always be the love of my life. I am proud to not only be his Little Princess but also his youngest child. I believe the distance we had while I developed into becoming a woman helped me grow into my fathers love.

After not being able to see my father for 3 years, he finally surprised me on my Sweet 16th Birthday in Fresno,CA. I was thrilled my father came to my special day. The months went by but we continued to communicate like father, like daughter.

Graduation came along and he came to see me. He hugged me and told me that I was his pride and joy for graduating with Honors, scholarships, and not being another high school statistic. I went into my college journey to Santa Barbara and still maintain my strong communication with my father. I was able to transfer to SFSU and had the opportunity to live with him in Palo Alto, CA. Living with my father was interesting. I had never spend more than 24 hours with my father and sharing the same roof was quite fun. I learned that we are both morning bees, need coffee to function, and always dress up even just to go for a walk. Now I know where I get my fancy habits from; I am just like my father.

The years went by and we continued the tradition to always have dinner on Sundays. We will hit the hot spots in San Francisco and Palo Alto,CA. From the Wax Museum to the botanic gardens in the area. Every Sunday was fathers day in my book.

My career journey brought me back to Fresno,CA. but that didn't change me. We still had the same communication and to this day he still calls me on a daily basis to know how am I doing. My papa has aged and gotten a little weaker physically but in my eyes, he is still strong and confident. I try to see him  every month when I go to the bay area. I count every minute when I see my father because we never know when God can take them into heaven.

I have been spending the past 5 years on Fathers Day with my papa. This Fathers Day was a little bitter sweet. I got to spend Sunday with my papa. I took him for dinner and got him the simple gifts he always loved. We had the talk of life, death, and success.

No matter how old I get, I will always be there for my father. I promised him that one day he will live with me and I will take care of him till the end. I plan on keeping my word just like he kept his on getting me my first car and helping me in my education. Disregard in the ups and downs in life, I stayed true to myself because I don't want to disappoint my father and I want to continue to be proud of who I am at my age. One thing is for sure, the love of my Father never changed.