‘Ki’ (pronounced as 'key') is what my kids call my dad, their grandfather.
Today he is 62 years old.
If you ask me, he doesn’t look 62. He does look a little thinner than I remember him 15 years ago when he saw me off at the airport and I left for the United States to further my studies. His hair has more grey in it, but, he is still not what I imagine a 62 year old man would look like. He’s still standing straight, he still has the joie à vivre and the joie a’ écrire. (Or maybe it’s just my wishful thinking that anok beranok kustamang (the bustaman clan) has this gene that make us look and act eternally youthful? *grin*)
If you’ve visited my dad lately though, you’d notice that he’s been having a little bit of a health problem.
It took me a few days to process this news and settle on how I felt about it.
Initially, there was denial. I mean I’ve known my dad all my life. I’ve seen him get sick before, and every time, he would get well. So it was kinda hard for me to grasp the gravity of the situation, that his lungs might be irrepairably damaged. He’s my dad and dad’s are invincible, aren’t they?
Then when it finally sunk it, I felt extremely sad and helpless. I mean his my dad. I could never ever imagine him being really really really sick. I don’t know about you, but I still have this delusion that my parents are super humans. That they can fight whatever comes along and get through it. The thought that my dad is sick, and on top of it, I am not able to be there to help him, to accompany him on his doctor’s visits and give him the moral support he needs, just kills me. He had always been there for me when I grew up. He picked me up from boarding school, and sent me back numerous times. He’s the one who hugged and comforted me when I bawled my eyes out at the airport saying goodbye to mokciknab when she got a chance to study in Australia. I would like to be able to do the same for him, provide him assistance and comfort.
That’s when I came to the final resolution. I will help him anyway that I can, from afar. I can’t be there to comfort him myself, so I will pray to God to provide him all the love and comfort that he needs. I can't send him to his doctor’s visit and buy him his medicines, I sure hope that he will accept my monetary assistance, however little.
Oh man.. this is turning into a sappy sad post, when we’re supposed to be celebrating!!
Let’s try to recall what I’ve given my dad as birthday presents.
Hm…
I think one year, we walked to the nearby quarry (which is now relabelled as SS24) and brought back multicolored, multishaped smooth rocks for him. I think I bought him a handkerchief once. And the requisite tie. I’ve made him cards when I was little. We’ve paid his Streamyx bill as a birthday gift once. We bought him an electronic organizer (didn’t we?). Now that I think of it, I gave him kinda crappy gifts...
This year, I am praying to God for his good health. I wish that you would to.
So go over to his blog, and wish him Happy Birthday!
Here’s what my kids made for his birthday:
Izani was asleep when we did this. It was the only way we could complete it.
.HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!!
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