At that time
what he said did not mean much to me but now being a father myself, I
understand his wisdom behind those words. We work hard our whole life for
happiness the but real happiness during the final days depend so much not on
the wealth we have accumulated but more on what the children and to some extent
the grandchildren do. It is taking pride in what they are and do that brings
joy. Well, I tried to do my utmost to live up to the expectations of my father
and I hope my children too will do their part to make me proud of them.
Another
great wish of a father is the company of his children during the final days of
his life. This is due to the fear of loneliness they experience at their
advanced age. However tough, authoritarian or even tyrannical they might been
during the prime of their lives, fathers when they grow old are extremely
fearful of loneliness. They tend cling onto their wives and if their wives are
not there then then they cling to their children for company. Many children
consider this a nuisance and may send them to old folk’s homes.
This brings my
thoughts to an elderly gentleman who I befriended some years ago. He was in
his eighties and was all alone after
the death of his wife. His only son was away doing some job overseas. The old
man narrated his fear of being all alone and badly longed for the company of
his son. He said that his only wish at that time was that his son would be back
and be around when he died. Nothing bothered him more than the fear that his
son will not be around when he died. Fortunately his prayers were answered as a
year later his son was back with him during the final days before he died
peacefully.
As we
celebrate this Father’s day it may be pertinent for us to reflect on how we are
fulfilling these two important wishes of our own fathers. If we haven’t then it
may be timely to do so. If our dads are already dead, we can still ponder on
whether we fulfilled those two wishes when they were alive – making them proud
to be our father and allay their fear of loneliness before their death. If we
had I am sure we will feel a sense of satisfaction and happiness deep within
us, a happiness that no money can buy.
It is said
that God made paradise at the feet of your mother but He made the father take
care of the thorns under your feet. Yes, it is the father who takes pain to prevent
your feet being pricked by the thorns because he feels the pain more if they
do.
On this
Father’s Day too let’s pay tribute to this special man in our lives, the man
who toiled for our success, suffered in silence and holding back tears when we
failed, did everything within his means to lift us up every time we fell and
took great pains to prevent us from falling again. He is the only person in the
world who takes pride when we overtake him in success, wealth and status. He is
none other our dad.
The greatest
happiness for a father is being proud of what his children do. The question we
have to ask ourselves this Father’s day is whether we are making our dads
proud.
Happy Father’s day
