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A Portrait of My Father
A Deceiving Picture Indeed
If one were to look only at the face of the man in this portrait they might assume many things. But assuming would be foolish as they would miss so much. The smiling face before them has much to conceal. You see, the body attached to the smiling face is much less deceiving, it cannot hide the magnitude of the hard life it has endured.
The setting of this portrait is the beautiful outdoors, the man is standing on a grassy area with many trees in the background. The sun is shining through the branches. The mans face appears happy. His wavy brown hair is combed neatly in place, no salt and pepper on his head. The many lines around his eyes are especially noticeable as he smiles for the camera. His dimple forms a half moon crevice on his left cheek and his big brown hound dog eyes sparkle in the sun light. He has been blessed with a nice friendly face the kind that let's others feel at ease around him.
His body, if it were not attached to his face, would look more appropriate on a man twice as old as he. His shoulders are hunched forward, his arms bent at the elbow as though he were getting ready to push a heavily loaded wheelbarrow in front of him. His legs are holding him up with a threat to let him down at any given moment.
His body tells the story of a rough ride through life. It cannot hide the fact that he was born with two missing vertebrae in his lower back. It cannot hide the fact that he has endured eight surgeries in his seven decades. The fact that he can stand upright on his own two feet is a testament to his will and determination. The fact that he is always smiling leaves me in awe. He is the best father and role model I could have ever asked for.
Sadly my dad passed away in August 2018. He still somehow manages to make me smile, I will be walking through a mall and hear a song come on the radio that he used to sing to me as a little girl (a long long time ago). I will be taking a walk and be approached by an orange tabby, dads very favorite cat, rubbing up against my leg. Coincidence, probably, but it brings dads smiling face to mind nonetheless.
