Father, I Love You

Grandpa Pigeon, who had become frail, had gone out for the day. His usual routine was to fly by the local church and say a prayer; take a short flight to the lake, pick some items to feed the little ones and return home.  It was a beautiful routine.

Grandma Pigeon became worried, as Grandpa Pigeon had not returned as the sun was about to set. A search party led by Elderson Pigeon was formed. The volunteers went to the church. Grandpa Pigeon was not there. They went to the lake, and asked Kingfisher if he noticed Grandpa Pigeon that day, and he said ‘No’.  The group returned to the route, and noticed the resting tree.  They stopped and there found Grandpa Pigeon covered by leaves and without life.  He had taken a final rest from the world.

On August 30, 2014, Eugenio Billones Dinolan, 77 years old, went to St Joseph Catholic Church in Milford as he usually did. He then proceeded to buy some stuff at New World Supermarket and was expected back to the house before noon.  But he didn’t come home. Eugenio died while inside the public toilet near the supermarket.  His wife, children, in-laws, grandchildren, relatives and friends were devastated by his sudden death. Their consolation was the knowledge that he had prayed to God prior to his departure.

The passage of Eugenio reminded me of my father, Angel Libre, Jr. who died of cancer. I thought about him when I wrote, in time for “Father’s Day” in New Zealand, a song entitled “Father I Love You”, whose lyrics read:

When I was a child

You were a giant of a man

You righted our wrongs

You taught us to be

The best in what we do

You worked so hard

To bring food on the table

You partnered with mom

To raise us up

And seek us when we were lost

Chorus:

Father to you I owe

What I am

You never lost faith in me

When I lost faith in myself

My gratitude to you

Father, I love you

The man that I knew

Has turned old, has turned gray

You need not worry

I am here for you

For I now am a father too.

If your father is living, tell him “I love you”.  For those who have lost their righteous fathers, be confident  for God takes good care of them. “The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from calamity; he enters into peace; they rest in their beds who walk in their uprightness.”   (Isaiah 57:1-2)