When my siblings and I were growing up, our Dad wasn't physically present in our lives. He was in the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in the 70's and was deployed to different parts of the country. He was an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) in the 80's and 90's. He had jobs in Saudi Arabia and Singapore. So, you see there was very little time for bonding and quality time with our Dad. We do however, recognize that his sacrifices were for us, his family. That is why we never complained. We were just thankful that despite the hardships during those times, our family was intact and we were supported all throughout by our father. Now, he has turned 73 years old. He is getting old. Thankfully, with the Grace of God, he is still in the pink of health.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SARGE!
"Dade" is what we call him. The word just grew on us. His close friends however, call him Sarge. It's because he was a Master Sergeant.
Sarge in his heyday is a martial artist. He enjoys Karate and has taught the art to his fellow Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia. He is also a sharpshooter. Proof of this is his Silver Medal for a shooting competition in the PCG. Though I get to see the medal and the punching bags he used in practicing his Karate, I haven't had the chance to see him in action, i.e., in practice, demonstrations, or in mentoring. No not in combat, thank goodness.
Sarge likes to drink with his buddies. Sometimes too much. But he is getting around this now. He has grown "a bit" older and wiser, which means his drinking sessions are fewer and the alcohol intake lesser. The body tends to give in more easily to "undesirable habits" when one is older.
MY BIRTHDAY WISH.
My Dad and I have gotten close ironically when I moved out of the house. When I visit my parents on weekends, we have long talks over dinner. It actually amazes me that our family became much closer now that each one of us has our own family. I suppose that the reason for this closeness is having a better understanding of the sacrifices made by our parents in raising us.
So, my birthday wish for my Dad as it has always been for the past years is to LIVE A LONG, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS LIFE!
73 MORE BIRTHDAYS TO COME.
I am quite sure of this. My Dad's mom and dad, my grandparents, are like Sequoia trees. They could actually live hundreds of years, I believe. They were in their late 90's when they passed due to mishaps.
Anyway, I need 73 more years to show Dade my appreciation for everything he has done for our family. I wanted to take my parents to places they have never been before. With the help of my older sister, we were able to take them to a couple of nearby countries before the pandemic. We had plans of taking them to Thailand in 2020 but the pandemic broke out. I am still hopeful though that we would get to push forth with our plans next year or in 2023.
73 more years to show our gratitude actually is not enough. Did I mention that my Dad is a "great provider"? Not in the sense that you might think. We actually lived before a completely modest life. Just basic necessities. My father however, with the help of my mother (my Mom is great and she's the best in the entire universe!), my dear grandparents and close relatives, he was able to have all of his 7 children finish college. 1 English Major, 2 Computer Engineers, 1 Political Science Major, 1 Industrial Engineer, 1 Computer Science Major and 1 Fine Arts graduate. If that is not considered a "great provider", I don't know what is.
We love you, Dade! Mwah, mwah! Tsup, Tsup!
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