An Ode To My Father

chapter one: love 

partnership is the solid ground which holds everything in-place; the ground on which two individuals unite to intertwine two lives together; to begin anew. 

my father’s true & only infatuation was my mother; a woman with a special kind of beauty that always drew that second-glance; she had the sort of grace, you only see in films or read about in the pages of endless books; a beauty assembled in the way she carries herself; always with that bright elegance, she was the center-focus of any room she walked in, the kind of woman who fully understood her worth from the get-go. 

my father knew what an ideal woman is, no stranger to heartache & betrayal; he had to battle his demons & scrub-away the aftermath, for a woman like my mother to cross his path.. eloquently summarized by a close friend of his, he said: my father simply stated when the mention of his upcoming marriage was brought up, he looked up to his friends and said: ‘this is it’ & nothing was the same after. 

love is bliss, truly & utterly; an unapologetic colorful joy that splashes from every direction, it asks for no invitation & appears as if it had been there the entire time. 

my parent’s marriage was one built of a mutual respect; my father had given my mother the gift she had always prayed for; us. myself and my two brothers are my mother’s greatest pride. 

her decision to stay-home & look-after us, was a decision she made out of love, my father worked tirelessly to provide us with the best life, and my mother stayed by his side, nurturing us with everything a mother could grant her children; I see my mother’s kind soul in all of us, I see her goodheartedness in us, the compassion she instilled in us to always (always) care for the other no matter what, she would always say whenever I question her tolerance & patience: ‘I treat people by my character not theirs. I do good by them the way God taught me & always wishes me to’

my father understood my mother & she contained him, until the very final days of his life, my mother would stay-up & outside of the operation’s room praying & waiting to catch a glimpse of him; she was always the first face to greet him a good morning & she was the last face he saw before he left to the eternal home. 

the more I write down their story, the deeper my heart sinks, the more tears I am yet to shed, the more I realize I could never-ever do it justice; they have painted in my eyes a full marriage; one that was always honest yet respectfully private, one that celebrated each important moment without missing any, one that was tailored to notice the needs of each member of the family & always cater for it, without once forgetting to bring-together the family to celebrate the anniversary of when it all started. 

the love I carry in my heart for the man I plan to marry is the reason why I am writing this today, the reason why I am reminiscing..

I have talked about bliss but I have never experienced it until I have met him; bliss-filled peace that is making the background of my life; I am blooming & arriving with him by my side to realizations and affirmations about myself and womanhood; a growth that testifies to a past that serves as a teacher & a stepping-stone to the blessing God has always had in-store for me. 

seeing two footprints in the sand, moving hopefully in harmony, not knowing what the future might hold, but taking steady steps together; one after the other, is how I view partnership. 

love pushes you forward, together, it doesn’t hold you back; two lives joining then merging into one, both recognized separately yet celebrated in union, is how I view partnership. 

every contribution regardless of how small it may seem is focused & rejoiced by the other, is the way I view partnership. 

this man, this blessing, this love, this support-system that is my all-in-one; my friend through the darkest of times, my goofy-buddy through the silliest of moments, my comfort through the confusing days & my partner through the upcoming chapters of life.   

the love I have been introduced to, is the love my parents have shown me through their lives; a companionship that allows love to flourish comfortably, to birth passion, commitment & an understanding that grows naturally through the passing of days. 

as my love travels in search of a better-life for us, I find myself firmer in my stand, waiting patiently, rooting by his side, asking God to protect him, bless him, & bring him home safe. 

earnestly do I pray for you 

my love, 

may you find the bigger & better things, sooner than ever

so that our lives may intertwine again 

so that we meet again 

so that I get to hold you in my yearning arms 

once again.