Dad

Every June on the 3rd Saturday (usually??) is Father's day.  Now I know I know I know...mothers are more important than fathers. Mothers are the ones who carried you for nine months and still loved you despite the fact that you gave them cramps, bloating, fatigue, weight gain and ridiculous cravings during those nine months. Furthermore, someone said that you teach a man and you are only teaching one person but when you teach a woman you teach an entire generation (atleast that is what someone wise once told me)...I get that I really do! However, as important and wonderful mothers are there is something very special about fathers.

The idea for father's day started in the early 1900's in the state of Washington. Richard Nixon made it an official day of observance in 1972. Fathers day is celebrated as we all know on the 3rd Sunday in June. I wish I was the one who thought of the idea for fathers day! The woman who created the day was a daughter just like myself who adored her father. He was a man who made a lot of sacrifices so he could raise his daughter to the best of his ability. Her love and appreciation for her father was clear when she thought of this day of observance to the role of fatherhood.

Someone once said "a dad is someone who holds you when you cry, scolds you when you break the rules, shines with pride when you succeed,and has faith in you even when you fail". I could not agree with this more!! A father has the amazing ability of making you feel protected. Almost like its dad and daughter against the world. Dads know exactly what to say to make everything better even if they were the ones to upset you to begin with.


What Makes A Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad
-author unknown

Now I know my mother is an amazing woman with amazing patience and strenghth. I mean come on now. She raised me and that takes a whole LOT of patience. A TON in fact. I love her dearly but for some reason I just have a stronger connection to my father. When i do something wrong he is the first person's reaction I am worried about. When I do something well he is the first person I want to tell and the first person I want to be proud of me. I think this is the case because with my mother I know no matter what she will love me and be proud of me. But with my dad it is not as easy. He is always pushing me to do harder and be a better person. He wont let me settle for what is good. He wants great for me. (I am not saying my mom doesn't want that but my dad actually pushes me for it). He makes it a challenge for me...I like a challenge. His is pride is conditional...I have to earn it. With my mom, her love and patience never wears away. It is unfaltering. I do not feel like I have to fight for it and that is excellent. However, after all I am my father's daughter. I like the challenge. I like to fight for something. I feel like my father never just gave me his attention. He never just gave me his approval or his sense of pride in me. I always had to prove to him that I deserved it. When I brought home an A in school he would say "why not an A+ ?" My best was never what he thought was my best. My mom was proud of me not matter if I got the A or the A+ so I guess I kinda know my mom will always be there for me no matter what. With my mom, I know she loves me no matter what; she's my mom so its her job to love me no matter what.

I am growing more into understanding astrology and zodiac signs. I also took notice that my father is a scorpio and I am a virgo. Virgos and scorpios are harmonious because of their mutual respect for loyalty. Its funny because nothing means more to me than loyalty. I might be a brat sometimes and act spoiled but at the end of the day I am loyal to my family. Virgos and Scorpions have the same ambitious drive and have many similar quirks about them. Furthermore, they are their own worst critic. That is me and my father. We are always harder on ourselves than anyone else is.

 I also owe a huge thanks to my dad. He is the one who installed a sense of self pride in me. He was the one who taught be proud of who I am no matter what. He was the one who taught me about life. To my dad I am eternally grateful because he taught me about religion and God. There have been so many things in my life that I have survived because of my faith in God. Again, I love my mother to death but it wasn't from her that I got my religious knowledge but rather my father. Also, my father is the one who showed me Arab culture and all its beauty and mystery.

I might get angry with my dad alot. I might not like his actions half the time. But it was God that chose my parents for me; not me. I can't change my parents and I do not want to change my parents. Therefore, I have learned to accept my father's flaws. In his defense, he is not perfect just like the rest of us. I would rather have a dad with flaws than to have no dad at all.


I love you dad! May God bless you and keep you with me for many years to come.