Kini Big deal?

FATHER\’S DAY HAS COME AND GONE. AGAIN….

Kini big deal?

Oh yes. What\’s the big deal?

I got a whatsapp message from a friend that day:

Please go to him, and tell him how much he means to you. Remind him of your love, remind him it\’s Father\’s day.

It\’s all mushy, ain\’t it?

So I lie on my bed, and wonder what my dad has been to me.

Friend: My dad is extremely playful, and he overdoes it. It took me a while to take him seriously when I got older. However, there came a season in my life when I was lost and without friends in the world, literally. My dad was there all the way. He didn\’t understand my challenges, and he couldn\’t have solved them even if he wanted to. But he remained my dad, and the family ties that bound us together also saw me through the lowest point in my life. My dad is not a famous man. He may not be known outside the small town I live in. He is a very big part of my world however, and I treasure his friendship. We talk about everything you can imagine. Heaven and Girls. Work and leisure. Everything.

Provider: My dad is a bit stingy. Yes. He didn\’t throw money at me the way I wished he would, and that can be frustrating. I do not think he is being prudent or any such fantastic thing. I think he just finds giving a chore. And from things we have discussed, it has to do with how he was raised.

But I have never lacked the basic things. I didn\’t get to dress up in Timberland\’s and Tommy Hifilgers. Hey, did I get the spelling? But I always had some cotton, some neat cotton or polyester, or whatever, over my back.

As I started fending for myself and realized what a big deal it was to put food on my own table, I felt an immense sense of gratitude for this man who fed me for 25 years. 25 Years! That\’s a big deal.

Protector: My dad is not the guy from \’Taken\’. I am pretty sure he would freak out at the sight of the cold metal.

However, I have been stranded before. In the wee hours of the first day of June, 2 years ago, I wandered along a deserted Abuja highway, frantically calling out for a cab to my destination. It was only later on that I was informed of the several possible dangers I could have experienced that night. Exasperated, I had crawled into an abandoned bus by the roadside and passed the night!

Together with my mum, my dad has provided a house to shelter me from the elements. When I had to go away from home, he paid for my accomodation. I guess I would never be able to grasp the full extent of the evils I have been protected from.

Teacher: My dad has lots of books on several topics, even if he never reads them. Or does he? Ok. I am not sure. Those books were my companions as I grew up. I learnt from them the good, the bad, and the ugly. From them, the underlying framework of my character was established.

As I grew, I found a lot of dad\’s ideas anachronistic. He still does not operate a computer. I am always tempted to ignore him when it comes to these technological heights I have mastered so well. However, who taught me to hold a pencil? Who first recorded my baby voice on tape? With whom did I first share the joys of Television?

My dad taught me many things I learnt in my first few years of life, and without the foundation of those years, I could never be where I am today.

What is more, the things that he could not teach me himself, he paid others to do it for him.

Pastor: Hehehe. My dad prays. A lot. And by that I mean he does an autobiography of the prayer so that God can hear and know in detail what he is talking about! I come from a fairly established Evangelical family, complete with all the traditional trappings of early Western Nigerian Christianity. The choreographed prayers, the solemn hymns, and the akward kneeling position with face to the sofa.

As the years passed, we became really Protestant. Thanks to Dad and Mum, I had my first opportunity to lead the family in prayer. They guided me in the way of the Lord. My spiritual journey has been a tumultous one, but I\’m pressing forward on the same path of life my feet were set on.

He is my first hero. My sisters\’ first love.

I should stop here, and give you the space to think of more things your dad has been to you. Learn to appreciate that man in your life.

p.S: For those who may not have felt the warmth of an earthly father, God is a more worthy father than we could ever have. He is your father. Appreciate Him.

Victor Olayemi.