Today is the sixth death anniversary of my beloved Dad. Six years since I saw him, heard him, felt his assuring presence around me everytime. These six years of my life have taught me a lot. Even though I was away from my mom and sis each day of these six years, every moment we were connected with each other in our griefs, tied with the loss each one of us had to endure, bonded by the silent tears each one of us shedded. Those hardships, the struggles, the pain, the anguish – can neither be explained to, nor can be understood by, somebody who has not been through the experience of losing a beloved one. However, this piece is not about us, this piece is intended to be a memoir of my dad.
When I think of my dad, there are many qualities that come to my mind. A person of wisdom and shrewdness, an enterprising person with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm, a committed and honest individual, hard working and sincere with his feet firmly on the ground. To this day ppl recognize me as his daughter, such was the goodwill that he had earned in his lifetime. A very stoic person by nature, my dad had the power to endure each and every challenge that life threw upto him. I had seen my dad shedding tears only once – it was when he took leave of me on my second day of college. Somehow, I can still visualize my dad waving as he walked out of my hostel while I stood at the gate, his cheeks red and wet with the tears.
We have moved on since his demise. We took our time, refused to believe at first that this really happened to us, fought with ourselves to understand why this happened to us, but finally conceded and accepted that life had tricked us. Not that we had an option. You see, that time survival was a necessity, not a choice. And slowly, the wheel started rolling again. However, I am sure that from some corner of the sky, my dad keeps looking at all of us and I know he is very proud of the way we have carried on with our lives. I love you, Dad, we all do…And we miss you a lot, will always miss you.
