My Father

My Father—My Inspiration

By: Aaheli Poddar

My father, as a young boy hadn’t got half as many privileges as he has provided me with. His childhood, set in the backdrop of Durgapur a small town in West Bengal, India, was not one of great comforts but of one where he knew if he couldn’t become anything, there would be no one to support his family. The little that his parents had done for him would not be of any use anymore.

The load of such big dreams and aspirations carried by a boy of such a tender age was difficult, but my father did it and exceeded everybody’s expectations. It was not that my father did not enjoy his childhood, or that he kept on sitting in one corner with a book in front of him. In fact he was a fantastic football player of his time. He used to play around, do everything a boy of his age would do, but with this playfulness he also developed a sense of responsibility, a sense that made him what he is today and a sense I, his daughter, always lacked.

My mother is always telling me to go study and it’s the same case with many others like me and like all others even I would ignore her and go on doing what I wanted to do. All my parents’ would ask me, Hey, what plans do you have for the future? and I would always keep quiet thinking why I still didn’t have a particular goal.

Not doing anything important whatsoever, I asked my mother if she had decided her future when she was my age. Like all mothers she got to give the big speech every mother wants to give their teenage children. She told me many things that I had heard from many people before: you should always have an aim in life, always work hard etc. etc…. then she mentioned something about my father that caught my attention.

I had heard before that my grandparents weren’t very rich people when they brought my father up, but I never really came to know how much will-power my father had when he was small. My father had always been a bright student. He had always exceeded expectations of his parents, friends and relatives. His head had the intelligence much more than that of any normal student. But his parents had never recognized this fact. His little happiness’ had never been given any importance at all. Soon my father learned to live with that in his life. He never complained even when things he did not like were said or done to him and after a while he just learned to control his emotions really well and became strong from inside. Every setback seemed to encourage him to fight against it all the more. He built his self- confidence in this way.

Surprisingly, he did not refrain from enjoying his childhood like any other ordinary boy of his age. In addition to being a fantastic football player, he was great collector of postage stamps and so on.

He had much more general knowledge and a lot more moral sense than I had at that age.

He used his knowledge in many places. Not only in school, but also in practical life; he became a perfectionist because of the grit he had about doing something, about becoming something, to exceed everyone’s expectations and to show everyone who did not have faith in him that he could do it, he could go ahead of everyone and show them that he has it in him to make them proud of him.

His parents never believed in him. They just wanted him to stand on his feet to earn money for the family and improve the financial condition of the house.

My dad was a genius in Maths and wanted to study more with it. But he was forced down to study for engineering so that he could land a job faster.

The choice my dad had never been given was what I got from him. The day he came back with an engineering degree, he decided to give me all that he had always wanted.

My dad got a normal job, he earned a pretty normal salary, he got a little daughter (me!!!), and a small and happy family.

My dad worked hard day and night to give me a proper childhood, to make every moment by little eyes, at that time, would see memorable. He taught me many values, told me many of the stories of his childhood and some things that even my grandparents did not know. We shared a special bond and little by little, as time passed, I realized how close I and my dad were and that I always had to preserve this relationship we shared.

My dad used to work in a government office in India, shame that an intelligent brain got such an unchallenging place to work in, but suddenly one day, he got a job offer from an office in Muscat, Oman. This was his first step in the Gulf region. At first, I didn’t want to let him go, but then all the moments when I saw the wistful look in his eyes about not being able to fulfil his dreams came in front of me, I decided it was best that I don’t stand in the way of him and his dreams.

The hardest time of my life was those two years I spent without my dad before joining him when he finally got a job in Doha. In those two years I learnt from the times we had spent with each other since I starting speaking my first words the message he had been trying to give me all these years….and it was not that I had to fulfil his dreams, but to dream my own dreams and fulfil them to the best of my capacity and not be afraid of any of the difficulties that I may have to face because when my dad was there with me no one could stop me from achieving what I had to.

So, I can proudly say that I’m my daddy’s girl!!!!

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My Father - My Curator

By: Abdalrahim Jamal Almahallawi

As my father said to me once If you want to be a father, you have to play children’s games, if you want to be a father, you have to share teenager’s dreams and be the one in your son’s eyes. If you want to be a father, you have to be as a phoenix and start anew from the worst failure. If you want to be a father, you must learn how to love without conditions.

My father does everything to make our lives better. He is our bright light especially in the darkest moments of our lives. Although he taught me how to depend on myself, life is too much to handle without his heart.

From the day I opened my eyes, I saw a kind hearted smile, my father’s smile; the man who has given his life to make me happy, to make me feel that I am the only one in his world.

My childhood was filled with my father’s touch. I still remember him playing with me as a child. He made me laugh for hours. When I was five years old I spent the whole day beside him. I went to work with him, met all his friends and relatives. I became his partner as always he called me. When I was seven, I asked him to take me to his work again because I liked being his partner. It was amazing to feel how all his friends loved me because I was his son.

One day we went to a building site several miles from our town where my father was an engineer. Unfortunately, our car broke down on the way back. We waited for someone to help us, but no cars came by. The sun was burning. Even though it was too hot to walk, he carried me the entire way on his back. He told me stories so I would forget about the heat. He never complained about how hot it was or how heavy I was on his shoulders. After he got me home he stayed two days in bed from heatstroke and dehydration. How great this heart!

Two years ago, during the last war in Gaza, my entire family moved to the safest room in our house (which itself was not very safe and it was extremely small). There wasn’t even enough room for all of us to sleep. During the entire war my father slept near the door. He had us put cotton in our ears so we could sleep. He stayed awake all night watching over us, keeping us safe. I remember seeing him in the middle of the night washing his face with cold water to keep awake. No matter what the situation, life is wonderful beside my father; I will forever treasure the sacrifices that he has made for me.

My dear father is a patient and wise man. Even though I am no longer a boy I still feel his warmth and love for me. Even when I make mistakes his warm support never stop. My father always said Everybody makes mistakes but those who are smart can fix these mistakes and move on to help me build who I am. He helps me think about my future. He teaches me how to be strong but merciful, steadfast but flexible. He always believes in me.

I have become who I am because of my father’s presence in my life. There has been no greater influence in my childhood than my strong and caring father. I can’t imagine one day as I grow old, not having his protection. I will always remember his words forever as an instruction for me to build my future. From my part my promise is that I will take care of him in his sadness and happiness. Until my last breath, I will be his son. I will rejoice the day I truly become Like father like son.

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..........

If you liked the stories in this book, why not treasure them forever by buying a Hard Copy edition available online at https://www.createspace.com/3618100

Perhaps you could gift a copy to your father or to someone else?

…………

My Farsighted Father

By: Abdulla Hassan

At the start of this competition, even thinking about writing 1000 words was far away from my ability but thinking more about it made me want to have the emotions in my heart copied on to the paper and thus I could write 10,000 words till now about my father, especially how through times of happiness I came close to him. He is……Hassan Ahmed, born in 1956, now 55 years old. My father is a fine man. His first job was as an engineer. He married my mom in his early 30’s and then I was born. After 2 years my brother and sister came. Then my mom gave birth to my little brother. We were living in L.A.- America, when my father said that we have to move to a bigger house for our development. So, we went to Alexandria-Egypt, and we lived in a bigger house and my father found a better job.

My mom wanted to drive, so she took the driving license. But when we bought her a new car, she crashed it into a tree, totally destroying the car. Nothing happened to my mom, but the car was wrecked. Let’s get back to the story; my dad was so happy when he knew that I was born. He liked to spend with me a lot of time. From the time I knew how to say simple words when I was 3 years old my father took me to America to spend the rest of the vacation there. My dad signed me and my 2 brothers and sister in a school in Egypt. I was a naughty boy at that time.

I was short tempered and I wanted everything to be mine. I spent 2 years in that Egyptian school, when I got expelled from it. Then I went to another school in Alexandria. In the 5th year, I got out of school for arguing with a teacher. It was a tough life when I was young.

My father has very much influenced me in my life. He has put my expectations high up enough to the point I know that I can work when I am 13 years old. I learned everything that a man should know how to become a successful business man and to run my father’s company that he owns.

My father wanted me to succeed in secondary school and then go to university and then go work, then take a long vacation for like an year and travel the world a bit then get married and have a happy family.

My father and I had some ups and downs, but it doesn’t affect us a lot. My father was a strict man he had strict rules in our family and if any one break any of the rules he gets punished. It sounds like a fair deal and it’s a good one too.

My father is a solid man who knows how to take control of a family even if there are 4-5 people in the family. My father hated animals; he didn’t like them at all. He hated them since he was small. That was a bad thing for us because I loved animals and I know how to take care of animals. My mom also loved animals but not all the rest.

I have six animals, 3 kittens which are usually in my room, 2 parrots and a dog, all of them are in my room but the dog is a puppy and it can’t take care of itself. So I take care of it until it is old enough to take care of itself.

My brothers and sister don’t like handling animals having claws or that makes a lot of sound, and that needs responsibility. My small brother sometimes comes into my room and plays with the cats and parrots. This is so frustrating because I leave my computer opened with my personal stuff and I don’t like anyone going into my personal stuff.

My dad doesn’t like animals to come near him that’s why the cats are in my room the parrots are in my room and the dog is in my room, somehow the room is big enough to fit all of this.

My father likes to encourage me to succeed in my school, he knows what’s best for me and he will want me to succeed in my life. My father gave me a lot of encouragement and taught me manners and how to respect other people. My reputation in school is 100% and I would not let anyone make it bad.

My father is one of a kind, he is unique and he leads me to the right steps and makes me stay out of trouble, he cares about my education and about my future, I always loved my father and I will always do what he says. He had a big role in my life. I want my father to be in my daily life for each and every single second of my breath. I don’t care what anyone else thinks. He will stay the only best father to me, and I will always pass this story to my grand children and they will keep passing it on and on and my father will never be forgotten.

I could never stop talking about my father. I will lift my head up in the air and keep on talking about him no matter what happens and I will make him feel all the days of his life that spent on raising me, will come back to him and he will be very proud of me in the days to come.

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My Influential Father

By: Abdulrahman Hassan

I cannot recall a person in my life that had a more significant influence on me than my father. My Father has been the large force behind my achievements in life. Everything I was able to accomplish had my father in its background. Throughout my fifteen years of life my father has been responsible, caring and appropriately strict, yet he understands the problems and stresses of being a teenager. He is the most influential person in my life and probably isn’t aware of how much he has affected my existence.

I am a product of my father's teachings and support. He is a source of inspiration and enlightenment to me. He didn't want me to be an ordinary person, but one who can make a change to the people around him. The actual meaning of father is a male parent, a person who founds a line or family, a man who starts, creates or invents something. To me, the definition of father is the loving, caring responsible, influential male who has significantly affected the existence of my being and future possibilities.

My father, Hassan Ahmed Hassan, works as a business manager in Qatar. He is in his fifties and still manages to successfully do his job and raise his family. My father earns a good amount of income and chose to put me in the one of the best schools in Qatar.

I remember to have asked my father once why I don’t have this and that and he told me something which affected me beyond the extreme and which really opened my eyes. He said "You might not inherit money from me, but at least you inherited love, wisdom and a brain full of science and math. I put you in the best schools for a reason, I didn’t want you to get lost in selfishness and ego with money, I wanted you to learn and know as much possible; you have a PS3. Do people in the Pakistani floods have a PS3? You have an I-touch; do people in Somalia have an I-touch? NO! Abdulrahman, learn to thank God for everything you have, everything even if it was a bread crumb, always say thank God, and be fortunate for what you have, not the opposite!

I cannot describe how these words affected my life; his words were extremely deep and meaningful. Every day, I wake up in the morning and thank God for my computer, bed, clothes, AC. When I go to school I thank god I have education in the very best of schools. When I go home, I thank God for the car and the safe country I live in. When I eat, I thank God for the delicious warm food I taste. I thank God for everything now, just because of those five minutes with my father.

I was once watching a movie in which a muscular figure was beating people and talking roughly with others. My father realized, through my actions, that I was trying to copy that muscular figure. He asked me why I am copying that muscular figure. And I simply replied back because he’s a man. My father calmly took me aside and said "a man is not known by his muscles, tone or style, a man is known by his wisdom, responsibility and actions.

You see, my father has contributed in every aspect in me which made me the person I am. My father raised me to be a proper, successful man, and that’s how I shall remain for the rest of my life. There are many features, rather elements I like about my father. I appreciate how he is appropriately strict, I like how he understands me and I also admire the treatment and respect I receive from him. Personally, I think my father is a blessing from God, every day I am grateful that God has blessed me with this being and I thank Him for that. People may say that they love their father because it is part of their duty, however for me; I love my father not because it is my duty, but because I fully admire this amazing person.

When I told my teachers and friends that I want to become President of Egypt, some told me that it's impossible, some said its hard work and some just laughed their hearts out. But I got a different supportive response from my father; he was glad that I had a goal, especially this one! And he told me to hold on to it. I don't want to be an ordinary president who works to make a living and gain power control or money, but someone who can actually make a change to the better.

People may think "WOW, what a relationship, but doesn’t he get in to rough times with his father?? I don’t believe that there is a perfect father but I do believe there is an excellent father. We have had some rough times with each other, but when I juxtapose both sides of my father it always turns out to the good. Even though, I still will love my father no matter what.

Like the time where my father gave me the silent treatment which basically means when your father ignores every single thing you do, doesn’t talk or speak to you, he becomes silent towards you, hence the name. Sometimes, I remember to have disrespected my father by refusing to obey him and speaking roughly to him because he ordered me to take out the trash several times. I don’t know what got into me; I ruined my father-son bond because of garbage! Nevertheless, I apologized to my father and he apologized back, after minutes of tears of apologizing for the past, we decided that those lame fights shall never occur again.

I could spend days and nights writing about my father because there is too much to talk about and many things which could only be felt through the heart. Therefore, I am thankful for everything my father taught me. He taught me all the things that I need right now or was going to need in life. Whatever I will achieve in life will be credited to him. I believe that my father will always be with me even after his soul leaves his body; he will be there through his teachings that I believe are my duty to pass on to my children. He will be there through me; when the people see my remarkable success one day, they will then know the value of his teachings.

And that’s why I will always love my father. Always...

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A Truly Great Dad

B:y Abir Eladel Bouguerra

What a coincidence, actually what a great chance to have this opportunity to translate some of my wavy thoughts on few white pages of this book. I was wondering lately about the possibility of giving some attention to fathers as we do with mothers, I mean we do know that there are so many occasions to celebrate mothers’ existence in our lives and even to thank them for all the care and the tenderness that they carry for us, but do we really do for fathers? Have we really specialised such occasions for fathers?

I don’t think so, and that’s why I thought the idea of this book is just so amazing. But then I asked myself: If I really had the chance to thank fathers, my own father, for being here for me, for guiding me to reach my ambitions, for teaching me how to be patient and for showing me the reality of LIFE……How would I do it? How can I thank him in few lines? And so this will be the answer, my answer, for all these questions:

Dad: with every "D I spelled I felt the real Dab and the real fount that escapes me through every single decline I have, and with every single A I said I felt the love that Abounds my life, and so with every DAD" word I spelled…..

It’s not that hard to see the silent care that my father offers to me through every single act he does; he has taught me how to smile when he carried me in the crisis, he has showed me how to act when he saved my life once from that quake, he has offered me life when he guided me through the road, when he showed me how to claim and when he told me that’s the deal, he has brought me out to life when he took me to the school, when he showed me my new life, in the classes, in a tour, he has taught me to reach the goal when I saw that happy tear.

I was, once, a little girl, a 5 year-old girl, playing and laughing, I can almost swear you could hear my innocent laughs two doors away from my house, from ‘our’ little, calm, peaceful home in Tunisia.

Daddy was sitting there in a shiny corner with my mother, they were talking to each other, planning our life, sharing their feelings and contemplating my innocence, my pure laughter; I still can remember those gold fine high yarns reflected on his face, I still can see that pure wisdom of history held in the depth of his look, the innocent reflection of purity saved in his sight, I clearly can listen to the echo of his care held by the sound of his laugh.

I still can remember that, I still can see him sitting and talking, struggling and praying; No one could imagine that a moment of innocence can turn out to a memory of sufferance, no one could ever hear the sound of the struggle coming in the middle of the joy;

It just happened, everything was moving around us, we were moving, and everything was being destroyed, all around us, all in front of our sights.

I didn’t know what happened, I still can’t remember the details but I’m just sure about one thing; my dad’s pure love to me and to my family, I’m just sure about one only thing, when I opened my eyes under the remnants of the quake, that quake that has just crushed the smile, that has drained the innocent laugh, all I could hear is the voice of my dad talking to me and trying to calm me down, he was trying and saying, repeating to me over and over again;

For the one who feels so sad

For the one who thinks he’s all alone

For the one who drops some tears

On the sweet cheeks of life

Your dream is away but your heart is awake

With the strength of the fancy

With the courage of reality

You will catch your willingness.

For the soul that leaves the emptiness

For the heart that cries the road

For the eye that sees the darkness

In the well day lighted room

Have some faith, some trusty days

Your dream is away but your heart is awake

With the strength of the fancy

With the courage of reality

You will catch your own dream.

He kept saying that, trying to calm me down, he wanted to hear my voice, he wanted to know that I’m doing ok so far, that I’m just doing fine, and so, again, he heard the innocent sound of my laugh, yes, I was simply laughing. I still can’t figure out the real reason behind that laughter; was it because I knew that my parents were just fine or was it simply because I was rescued or maybe because I was able to see that little drop running of my father’s eyes, those happy tears that taught me how to reach my goal, that have named the real sense of ambitions deep in my consciousness. I believe I’ve seen those happy tears coming out of my parents’ eyes but the memories just stopped there, simply to save the charm of that historical moment for me, the memory of me being carried in my parents’ hands.

You may be wondering how I could read all these facts on the pages of my memory, or how I could see all those realities between the plies of my life. Actually I couldn’t, back at that time, as any kid, all I cared about was playing and laughing carried by the time, but now I do, I’ve just discovered that I do, writing this article, and telling you about these facts….

This can never be enough to tell, or should I say to translate, the grace that I have being blessed with such a father and being offered such a lightening guide to frame my days -- my life-- my existence!

Dad, although this word carries so many secrets down between its plies it’s not that hard to understand it neither it’s hard to appreciate it’s reflect;

Your father, my father is here all around my life, that’s right, he leaves with me and he has always been watching me growing through days, did I think about that before? Have I really thought about the little talk that we have after a tiring school day before? Have I thought about the effort that he makes when I ask him for that book after a long working day? Did I think about the feeling that he carries when he sees that sad little tear draining my smile? I honestly don’t think I did, and surely I haven’t seen that clearly as I do, now, in this moment.

Sometimes, I admit, we become blinded: angry about the party that we will never be able to attend, mad about the punishment that we have to deal with, furious about the conversation that we had about college. We no more have the ability to think clearly or to realise the importance of that, trust me I was once like that; can’t accept criticism and don’t really want to listen, till I wrote this short article that offered me the chance to raise my modest level of consciousness.

As I know that this little article will never be enough for a book, I’m also sure that this book will never be enough to tell the greatness of my dad nor to describe the blessing I had having him in my life.

And so all I can add is the appreciation I carry and the happiness I hold in my depth, not for being his daughter but for having him as my Dad.

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My Great Father

By: Adnan Al-Bulushi

Throughout my childhood and later till this day, I should admit, my father made great impact in my life which I never realized till I was old enough to differentiate the right path in life from the wrong. I like the term ‘father like son’ because I am proud that I’m being compared to my dad. Of course, I have a different personality than my father and I think it’s because my father never wanted me to go through the same mistakes he has been in when he was a child. My father has influenced my life and he always used to tell me not to smoke and how smoking can affect me when I grow up. Whenever he said that to me, I used to get annoyed and complain that I don’t smoke and I will never will, but later I realized that my father was right because when I grew up I had this grudge and I hated whenever someone smoked near me and for some reason I couldn’t stand anyone who did smoke.

One reason I respect my father is that whenever I get in to some trouble he never yells at me, he talks to me and warns me and asks me not to do it again, but as an ordinary child I still do the earlier mistakes, and that’s when my father yells. Whenever he yelled at me, I used to get angry deep inside and that was only when I was just a child. By the age of 13, I never made my father worry about me. I wanted to show him and gain his trust by not falling into fights and troubles, and of course I did but it wasn’t like the old days and everything went smoothly. I did learn from my mistakes and those things that I have been through made me realize and look at things from different perspectives. Whenever I look back, I keep telling myself how stupid I was and back then I always thought raising a child is something easy but as they say if you want a good tree you have to always look after the tree and take care of it. I never did something that goes against my moral beliefs and I think I got that by watching my father and the way he acts. When I was 13 years old my father forbid me from going to some places where my cousins used to go and I always used to complain and keep asking him the reason and all he said was that place is not a good one. But back then to me, that place was like the centre where everything was. When I was almost 15 years old, my father allowed me to go there and I realized how things were bad. Eventually I went through everything and learnt from my mistakes.

My father was born in Oman and back then Oman wasn’t advanced like these times. It needed lots of revamp because of the war it was going through. My father was born in a corrupted neighbourhood and there weren’t anyone who knew how to speak properly.

When I was 16, suddenly I wanted to show my father that I can depend on myself. I never got annoyed nor fought with my brother. I just knew that there’s some stuff not worth fighting for. My father wasn’t the type of guy who likes to get into arguments unlike me. I still love to get into arguments and prove that I’m right like back then I never admitted that I