16/06/2024
A toast to all the Dads in the world
Kindly give me the opportunity to share a part of my experience as a son.
I thank the Lord for giving me a father who is so full of wisdom and resilience. I never really knew his academic achievements. All I know is that he started as a janitor/helper in a company more than half a century ago, but he had a dream to build his own career, he dreamt of having a family. So he ran off with my mom and started a life of their own. For sure he had his share in the struggle of being “Padre de familia” but we never saw him show weakness through the years. This man wanted to go places. So he became a taxi driver. Eventually he bought his own car. Then he started his own chemical maintenance company. Formulating his own chemical mixtures… he became a chemist on his own. He, as a father brought us up, teaching us all his formulas in creating cleaning agents. For toilet bowl cleaners, glass cleaner, rust remover etc. He went from Luzon to Visayas and Mindanao peddling his chemicals by that time the already had clients whom he supply on a regular basis. Father was a great provider and a loving husband. Never saw him lay a hand on my mom.
He really wanna go places! Literally. Whenever he and his brothers would get together on weekends or literally any day, almost on impulse. Baguio, Laguna, Quezon! Wherever they can go that would not sacrifice missing a deal. Me along with my siblings along with our titos and titas and cousins would ride on the back of that black chevy pick-up truck. Which father uses for his contracts. Dang! That was really a spacious ride. That loooong ride while having the “kwentuhan and kulitan with our cousins”. Stop on the side of the highway. I know how you love to go and live a life free Papa. The long ride, the wind blowing in your hair, the different terrain, watching the beauty of God’s creation, the sunset. “di kami nag kulang sa mga pangangailangan namin.”. I marvel in how he handled every situation. Truly God is walking with you.
He built a couple more small companies dealing with machine manufacturing which had clients across the country. He just never stops, even when the odds are not so favorable. His will to go on, is the most admirable trait he has. One of the most memorable advice he gave me was “pag nag start ka ng negosyo tandaan mo may Ups and downs yan. Kahit bumagsak ka ng sobra wag kang titigil.” another thing about him is he keeps on learning every single day. To him as if every mistake is just a minor setback, an opportunity to be better. Though life is like a road of many uncertain things.Things we never really expect to happen. We all are very lucky to have our Dads. Even though Dads have peculiar ways of bringing up their children, some are hard, some are often drunk, some are laser focused, some aren’t physically there and some… just rock and roll. We should really be very grateful, because we see them as they are and most probably we will be encountering those things they encountered and possibly the way they handled it will be the same way we will be handling them.
Happy Father's day to all you Dads out there! Romeo Gaw
PS
I didn’t grew up to love chemicals and machines, but my father was quite an artist himself.
