Dad, Thanks for the Nail Polish

He was the eldest of a family of eight.  Having lost his mother when he was twenty one and his youngest brother was just a year old, he had taken on the responsibility of nurturing the family.

With little to offer the world he had set out to an unknown town looking for work.  Being a whiz at math he secured employment as an auditor in a well known hotel. During 35 years of service he climbed the ladder to success and ended up as the CEO and major share holder of the very same organization.

He educated all his siblings and made sure they reached educational excellence in their chosen fields.

He married at 30 and was blessed (at least I think so) with two daughters.  My sister and I don’t remember a day he stopped caring.  He provided us with the best. 

I remember asking him for a particular color of nail polish when I was a teen and he went to five different stores to find exactly what I wanted. That’s how he was—he’d go out of his way to make his daughters happy. But just as much as he entertained our silly fancies, he was also very firm about his ideas.  We were given very little freedom.  He always made sure Mother or he would accompany us wherever we went.

There were times we resented his overprotective ways.  Though it sounds amusing now I was furious when he did not let me join my classmates on a trip and suggested that he followed with me in our own car!

Many years have passed since the days he carried me and cradled me in his arms, since he watched proudly as I took part in school plays or received a prize at an awards ceremony. And many years have passed since I was a rebellious teenager.

I know that he loves me unconditionally. He is a man who has sacrificed his life for his family.  

I am truly blessed to be able to call him my father. And I am truly blessed that he loves me (despite all my shortcomings!).