Sadly one year ago on April 28, 2020, I lost my Father to Covid-19. I took for granted he’d always be around, especially when I think of the times I should of made it more a priority to visit than I did. “Don’t we all who has lost a love one say this same thing, I could of! Should of!” Gone too soon without a chance for me to say goodbye. The image of him laying sick in a bed alone without someone to hold his hand and attend to his every needs, keeps playing in my mind. It’s devastating the places hit the first and hardest with the pandemic and lost of so many lives was the retirement homes for the elderly with fewer staff to help out because they themselves contracted the disease. Like this happens to make us recognize the importance of our responsibilities in caring for our aging parents not someone else. But the world today doesn’t allow us, even with our children, they give to stranger from as young as six months, “Why?”Because we all must work, both mothers and fathers.
The pandemic like some sort of punishment to our humanity is the worst time to loose a love one. My father’s body had to remain in the funeral home for a long period of time before we could have his funeral and to add to my grievances living in another province didn’t help. Then there was a limitation to how many people could attend. “If it hadn’t been for God, I don’t know how I would of made it through.” The thought of God who has given man the breath of life, and that breath is our spirit. All I could do to not worry about his body laying around waiting was to envision my father’s spirit going back to the arms of God which the most important than his body, the vessel for his spirit. I pray for him to be in the arms of the Father resting and at peace letting go of this world. I thought about how many others going through the same thing, getting that phone call of the passing of a loved one and you’re so far away.
My father would not have gotten the award as a good father from any of his children, he was very awful at it. It seemed to my siblings, like I was the apple of his eyes, out of thirteen children, but he loved us all very much. He spoke about each and everyone of his children with such pride. He was very proud of us all, he bragged about us to his friends and even acquaintances we’d meet. I was the only one who had the heart and patience to put up with him. He one day confessed the reason him and my other siblings couldn’t get along is because they were too much like him and he laughed. He knew me better than I knew myself. He’ll always refer to me when I was child as being an old soul. My father had a way of making me feel like I can do and be anything, just set my mind to it. He put me on a pedestal and I never wanted to disappoint. He believed me to be compassionate, merciful, loving and caring….And I was because I wanted so desperately to please him. He taught me about God and the spirituality in the world. My father was the first person to preach God to me at the age of ten and not religion. He told me to follow God and God alone not man. He’d say things like be a leader in God’s business not a follower, and I am gifted. My dad made me want to be the best person I could ever be. He believed in me and trust I will always do the right things. It was very hard on me when I’d messed up and do wrong, but all the more reason, for his sake I fought to make it right. That’s what I love about him despite his short comings he was my greatest motivator. His role in my life was like that of God, my tur Father in heaven I’d say to myself at times in the way he loved, trust and believed in me even when I didn’t. When we’d talked especially about God, I could feel his passion and understood where I got it from. I understood him not through him, the man, but that part in him, the spiritual side. He fought hard between the flesh and the spirit, it’s what made him so awful at times.
My father my hero. As a baby no more than three years old, I remember my father had gone abroad, and I was so distraught at his leaving I got very ill, wanting to go with him. My father use to take us kids for a ride in his car whenever we’d cried to go along with him. I was shown an airplane and told that’s what my father went away on and it became a comfort. So every time I saw one while playing outside I would say, “daddy, daddy is coming,” jumping with joy. I believed so wholeheartedly it was him coming to get me. I don’t recall how many times maybe I’ve done that until one day he really did come. I was in a serious situation and prayed to God that my dad would come and rescue me, sure enough out of the blue he showed up. Another time having my first child almost died and he showed up to take me to the hospital even volunteered to give blood, first time I realized we were the same blood type.
The relationship I had with my dad, I can now look back on and say we both have nothing lift unsaid. We talked, laughed, cried and know each other’s truth and adoration. Words cannot express my gratitude to God, for I know in my heart, “ if it hadn’t been for the Lord,” my father and I relationship wouldn’t have been such a blessing because He was always present in it. I always knew in my heart as young woman if a man can’t treat me like my dad, with the love, respect, support, honesty…”He ain’t worth my time or love.”
“Rest In Peace Daddy!”