The Hound of the Wolf

For the strength of Pack is in the Wolf, and the strength of Wolf is in the Pack -Rudyard Kipling

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

60 on 2012

Today, October 3, 2012 marks the 60th birthday of father, Arnaldo Perez Sr and thus shall be entering senior citizen status. If he is alive today, it could have been a not so grandiose yet somehow decent celebration. Fate has taken him away from us in 2006. Six years have passed yet the 24 years of being with my father is a memory that will stay in my lifetime. I must say that I have not been a good child most of the time and was not able to ask for forgiveness for all the things I have done before that tragic Saturday morning in the month of May 2006.

To celebrate the life of a dear departed loved ones, I could only think of two ways: 1). Never kill the memory no matter how good or bad it is. 2). Live your life with the beautiful values that had been imparted.
Memories ...

Our childhood is not an extraordinary one. Just a small family of 4 (before my youngest brother was born in 1992), where kids go to school, say their prayers at night, both parents providing for the family, whole family going out on weekends, whole family celebrating Christmas and other relevant celebrations. A stroke attack on my father and the early retirement from work of my mother changes everything. The whole family economics was spiraling downwards.

My father despite the disability stayed to be productive by taking fully in charge of my youngest brother's schooling. So much discipline was imparted to him at a very young age that after 15 years, such habits are still very present like waking up early in the morning, constant reading and reviewing, financial practically and resiliency. Before the stroke incident strikes and we were young, our father was protective even though we are all boys. Disaster brings out the best and worst in the family but in the end. Nothing is lost and so many lessons learned.

If there is one value that I learned most from my father, it is definitely resiliency. I would always hear him saying "walang di kayang gawin" or something to that effect. And I as long as I live, it is one virtue that I am going to teach and pass to Yza and her future sibling / s.