Dedicated for My Dear Father - For All the Flowers You Have Planted

Joseph Adison once said,

“Certain is it that there is no kind of affection so purely angelic as of a father to a daughter. In love to our wives there is desire; to our sons, ambition; but to our daughters there is something which there are no words to express.”

Joseph, I know exactly what you are talking about for I have been fortunate enough to experience this purely angelic affection, though my dad's affection to me is mixed with ambition as well ;) Living so far away, I am almost always far from my loved ones. And though I miss them all, only my parents' absence creates a weird tangible void in my heart. I realize that those sentiments are not worth dignifying and missing your Dad's hug is not news worthy but when a man makes you feel like you are all the daughters inside the house and you are all the brothers too, I personally can't help but tell the world about this man.

William Shakeaspeare,

“I am all the daughters of my father's house,

And all the brothers too.”

How Dad Created my Heavenly Sanctuary -literally-

I was stressed, tensed, and irritated beyond description. The year 2007 was going to define my life forever or so I naively thought. It was the defining point between success and failure, between a scholarship and a rejection letter.

A typical 2007 evening, I isolated myself in the office room to get all the typical mundane academic chores done. The grey walls, the scattered papers, the broken lamp and the gloomy view by the window blended perfectly with how I truly felt inside.

My father -the driving engine behind all the motivation- as always, managed to distinguish between a genuine and a forced smile. He insisted that the almost grave-like prison I had locked myself in, was the main reason behind my gloominess. After assuring him that I was still and always will be in the "J'aime la vie" mood, I locked the room and pleaded to be left alone for a fake nap.

Eight hours later, my father came back looking like a construction labourer who has been exposed to physically demanding work in a dusty construction site. Under the dim light of my office, I almost unrecognized him in his disguise.

He was excited about 3 gifts. The first was a new lamp, the second was a red rose and the third was yet to be revealed. I followed him to see the gift and though I wasn't bothered, I wasn't about to burst his bubble. Curious as I was, I somehow failed to notice the red bricks under the dark sky. They were neatly aligned across the yard facing the office room to surround 3 new baby plants.

And then was the weirdest yet the most uplifting conversation I ever had with my father.

According to his philosophy that night:

These plants in particular were too sensitive to surrounding emotions and since my office was the closest to them, he will use them to track my swinging moods as follows:

• A wilted rose : Self destructive mood. Indicates that slight intervention is required to save the flower.
• A blooming rose: Great mood.
• No roses: Dry season meant tough surroundings but he was to leave me alone because the rose has everything under control. Didn't know if he was referring to me, the rose or both but I was truly touched.

It is amazing what a fatherly heavenly garden can do to one's spirit. My father made sure it was customized for my needs, he made it lavish and colourful. The height and lavishness of the trees were to provide privacy from the surrounding prying eyes.

Now each time I sit down in the office to write or lay in the garden to contemplate, each time I take a picture inside the view I see a heavenly sanctuary so THANK YOU DAD.

Why Did I Write this ?

You are probably wondering why did I write this, a very random topic on a very random day. Fathers day is not even close. But I just believe that expressing our genuine gratitude towards the little things that touch our hearts keeps these little things flowing. I am sick of saying "I love you" too late. For once, we should express our emotions without waiting for a stroke or an occasion to ignite our feelings. For once, we should abandon the saying “You don’t know what you have until you lose it !!!”

In my personal opinion, You don't need a profound poem or an expensive gift to express such sentiments. A Thank You Card, a genuine smile, a simple gesture or a random hub will just do. =)