Take My Hand Inspirations
Our Fathers . . .
Melissa, through glassy stares,
reminisces about the day her Dad picked her up in his long husky arms and
carried her off to the local shop to buy pink chewing gum and white socks for
her to wear to her 3rd new Primary school. The next day, and the next, . . . and the
next, she wondered if she’d be carried away again. When mama cried, she knew Daddy had died in
that war she hated. Glassy-eyed and
twenty-three years later, she still sits sulking out of any window squinting to
see if he’d come running to catch her up . . . again.
Full of laughter in his heart,
Kelvin plays with his son on the scorching asphalt basketball court behind
their city apartment complex. He’s in
red. K, Jr. is in blue. Opposing teams, but one big united hug
despite the defeat of Dad after three rounds of one-on-one. K, Jr. occupies ninety percent of the space
in the abandoned part of the heart of K, Sr. almost replacing that aching
emptiness of him not knowing who his own father is. Almost. “Where were you;
where are you, Dad?” he still questions at age 34.
Sandra, the corporate
conqueror, shuffles and swings from client to client sometimes taking on more
cases than she can handle trying to drown that indigestible indictment of
incest her drunkard father raped upon her year after year from age nine until
she fled into Auntie’s arms 3,000 miles away, yet still receiving regular care
packages from Mom too numb to move out of that “divorce is not an option” marriage.
They all got together over three
years ago at their university alma mater: Melissa, the Physics lecturer,
Kelvin, the global businessman, and Sandra, the “power” lawyer; and decided to
keep in touch with each other no matter what nor where life took each of them. Friends
Forever.
2017 . . .
Kelvin: Melissa, you there?
Hey we’ll meet at the church by 5 p.m., o.k.?
Melissa: Yeah, sure, K., wouldn’t miss this for the world. See you soon.
Have you talked to Sandra?
Kelvin: Of course, you know Sandra, gun ho and ready for anything!
Melissa: Yeah, I miss her fire.
She always kept me up and fighting for life. I owe her my life, you know.
Kelvin: I know what you mean. It’s
amazing how that home could handle the three of us.
Sandra: (on
conference call) Hey, what are you guys talking about?
Melissa: Old times at the home.
Sandra: Again? You two can’t move on, can you?
Kelvin: Can you, Sandra? Can you ever forget Da Biggs and Ma Pearl?
Sandra: They picked us up from
nowhere and loved us more than any blood could.
I will love them forever. They
were there for me when Auntie went to be with the Lord. And they have loved me still as their own
daughter, even to this day.
Melissa: I was so lost as a teenager, just wandering around after Mama’s
breakdown; and Da Biggs and Ma Pearl found me, took care of Mama and me in
their big hearts and home. Oh, let’s
stop before the tears flow.
Kelvin: I got the cake; and our outstanding
gift is ready for Da Biggs.
Sandra: Great, K. You always knew how to do things big!
Melissa: This will be the
greatest Father’s Day celebration ever!
We love you Da, our Father.
There are no words which can express how much we, your children,
appreciate you. When we were lost, you
helped us to find our way. When we were
sick, you took care of us. You packed
our lunches with Ma, and sent us off to Primary school, then JHS, then SHS, and
your pockets never seemed to get dry as we continued on to university. How did you do it? Not a single day did you complain against us
though we brought many troubles on you due to our adolescent madness. Yes, you scolded us, punished us, even put
the cane on our backs, but now we know it was all out of your unending love to
make us into the special people we are today and who would one day have our own
children. You turned our “Friends
Forever” into “Family Forever.”
We love you Da, our Father.
Have a very Happy Father’s Day!
Hear, my children, the
instruction of a father. When I was my father’s son . . . he also taught me,
and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words, hear, my son, and receive my
sayings, And the years of your life will be many. I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I
have led you in the right paths. When
you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not
stumble.” (Read Proverbs
4:1-12, NKJV)
Is there a “father” (a Da
Biggs) in your life who has led you as the example above? Perhaps he is your biological Dad, or maybe
he’s not. This Sunday, June 18th,
2017, be sure to remember the “Da Biggs” in your life. He cares about you and deserves your
appreciation. Forgive him, call him,
visit him. A son honours his father (Malachi
1:6a).
© 2017 by Take My Hand Inspirations, a
division of PepParadise Society Ltd. All
rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic,
mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—without the prior written
permission of the publisher. The only
exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Paintings: 1. Father Collage © 2014,
(www.chicagonow.com); 2. Mural Arts
Philadelphia: Fathers and Children
Together (FACT) © 2015 Ernel Martinez (info@muralarts.org}
Take My Hand Inspirations
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