Fathers are GREAT!

You can’t change your destiny, but you can create your own.

This man is my Father, Hero, and the one I love. His name is Rizal Salcedo Asarce, my papa, father, tatay, and the most special man in my life. It's been 7 years since my father passed away. I never realized what life would be without him. I never expect that there will be a time that everyone die. I really missed him so much, like every single day I'm always hoping that he will come back and he will never leave us. But I believe that God has His own purpose why. I thank God for the opportunity of having been your child even for a short time  I am blessed to have been sired by such a great and wonderful man and I will forever love you and appreciate you  I miss you po.

Fathers are great. They are always there to embarrass you in the worst times, make you laugh with all of their “great” jokes, and most of all love you when you need it the most. They may not understand everything their daughters go through, but they are always there supporting you no matter what! I am lucky enough to have a father like this. 

My father constantly reminds of beautiful I am. From a young age he has shown me how I deserve to be treated. He always reminds me that I am loved, and for that I am truly thankful because he always makes me feel worthy. From the time I was a little girl, he has thought me many lessons. The one that has stood out the most is the saying “nothing good comes easy.” Whenever I would be stressed, or having a difficult time he would always remind of this. It’s something I use to get me through the hard times and will pass down to the generations after me.

 I admit that I am jealous seeing a complete family, I am hurting every time I see a person who's always making his father suffer. Every time he will "unta namatay na lang ka, kanus a paman ka mamatay uy?" Why does it happened? I believe there's a reason behind all of our hatred and I understand it. 

MUST WATCH!

It's very painful when my father died, because I'm only in my fourth grade, It's also the year wherein my sister will have her high school graduation, and the most painful it's the day after the birthday of my brother. At first, I'm always asking God, Why me? Why not others?Why not the other fathers died?

My view of the world also changed. Before Dad died, I was young, innocent, and naive. I saw God’s beauty in the smallest things – plants starting to bud, cocooning butterflies, the exact color blue of the sky. When I found a four-leaf clover, Dad laminated it for me to preserve that small wonder. When I had questions, Dad would answer them. He always had the answers. The world had infinite joys to discover and I had endless curiosity. Life seemed to go on forever and I never thought about death.

After the funeral, that all changed. I lost my parent, my hero, and my teacher. I thought a lot about death and dying. I still had plenty of questions, but nobody to answer them. And they certainly weren’t fun questions.

So I learned things on my own – great big things that I couldn’t have understood any other way. I learned the importance of telling people that you love them. Don’t ever let them wonder how you feel. Of all the things I regret, missing the chance to say “I love you” will never be one of them. I also learned to never pass up an opportunity to give or receive a genuine hug. When Dad was dying, I was terrified. I didn’t know how to act, what to say, so I sat in silence. He asked me, “Aren’t you going to give me a hug?” When we hugged, he started to cry. That memory has broken my heart ever since. He never should have had to ask. There are few words and fewer acts that can convey more emotion, more truth than a hug. They are the simplest, most perfect way to ease despair, to share joy, to demonstrate empathy, or to show love. Anyone who knows me knows that my hugs are free and frequent. But despite of this experience, I'm always thankful for all the things that happened to me.

Thank you and God Bless!