16 Agu 2025

ODE TO MY FATHER


My father is a good husband, a good man, and a family man.

we can talk with him about politics, the environment, or family business, but we rarely discuss our feelings. We lack the courage to go there.

He worked all his life to provide for family, but because he was always busy with work, he couldn’t attend any of our school events.

His motto is :

“Give generously to others, and good will come back to you. The more you give, the more good will return.”
Every month, he donates to people who are elderly, less fortunate, or struggling to make a living.

I remember when I was a child, our neighbors would come to our house each month, and my mother would give them rice with some beverage. I thought it stopped when I was in high school, but later I found out he has continued this tradition to this day. Now, it’s mostly just him and a few others who know about it. He doesn’t want everyone to know; he thinks that’s not appropriate. Until hes gone, he want that to continue the tradition with his child.

I don’t have many memories of family vacations.
We were always busy he was working hard to make a living, and we, his children, were occupied with school and later, with work. Our schedules never seemed to align.

This is one of my biggest regrets.
He never wanted his family to suffer, so when he was sick, he endured it alone, never wanting to see a doctor.

Even now, it’s hard for me to believe he’s gone. It happened too quickly, and I feel I didn’t have enough time to bring him more happiness.
I wish my father peace and freedom from pain, and I hope he’s in a beautiful place beyond this life.

I’ll always admire my father’s dedication and strength. He worked tirelessly to provide for us, often sacrificing his own comfort and desires. He taught me the value of hard work, generosity, and resilience, even if he rarely spoke of these things directly. His dedication wasn’t just felt by us; he also built a small mosque in our community so that our family and neighbors could pray in peace without the need to walk far.Though he may not have been able to spend much time with us, his actions showed how deeply he cared. He built a foundation for our family and inspired us to carry his values forward.

I am grateful for all he did, and I’ll always carry his lessons and love in my heart. His legacy lives on in the lives he touched, especially ours. This is not meant to glorify his life, but rather to offer a tribute and way to honor my father now that he is beyond my reach. In these words, I wish only to remember and preserve the goodness he brought into our lives.


I miss you, paa. 

so bad, forgive me about what i've done.