The warrior is a child
3 MIN READ
By MARISA GALUT
A father is the established head of the family. He has to be strong, courageous, strong- willed and full of determination to lead his family. He has to be tough and never show signs of weakness to his family. He must always protect his family in the huge battle of life.
To raise a family is not easy. Some would even say that if they could turn back the hands of time, they would not have gotten married. Silly but what else can they say if they had to raise a large family of nine children? Just like what my father did.
He wakes up early in the morning to prepare himself and his tools. He lifts up his plow to his shoulder, unties and rides his carabao. And only when he feels hungry, would he stop to go back home for a while to fill his stomach.
He has always been hardworking. Through the years, he stuck to that routine to feed his family. He got married early. He did not aquire a college degree and he never showed how much of a hinderance it was being a responsible father.
Besides the daily hard work on the farm, people who knew him are amazed that he had raised his big family well and was even able to send his children to college. Five of the older children are college degree holders and the rest are following. He spent every day of his life under the burning sun in the fields. I often hear other people’s amazement at his achievements that seemed impossible for him.
“You are lucky to have your father,” they would always tell us – his children.
However, since I was a child, there always was a deep longing in my heart to hear him say he loves us like other fathers do. It was as if he did not love us because I never heard him say so. I envied my friends whose fathers hugged and kissed them. I pitied myself whenever I hear a father says “I love you” to his child or “Congratulations” for his achievements. I just kept waiting for my father to utter such words and always failed.
Until one time, I opened up my sentiments to a dear brother. He did his best to explain and open up my mind to understand why my father was what he was and did what he did. I felt so guilty. I realized that I have been unfair to him. I was asking for something dumb. I had my eyes and my mind closed that is why I did not see what I had to see. He might not say it but he has shown it all this time by working all the day in order to give us what we need and to be able send us to school.
Since then, I started to appreciate having him as my father. I was grateful for his love. And now, I feel so sorry for him because he had actually been disappointed too. He has been showering us with his love everyday but it seemed to go unappreciated by his children.
Suddenly, I realized the saying that love is not saying the words but showing what it means. As things always come to an end, my father’s strength is now waning with age. He now complains that he is already tired of working and shares his sentiments that he looked forward to when his children, schooled and employed, would lift him up from the farm chores. My tough and strong father has now mellowed. He, whom I’ve known as an unbreakable warrior is now showing that he, too, is still a child. #
