I know my husband would much rather be toting the kids off to the pool, settling them in for naps [and catching some extra zzz's himself!], and throwing in a load of laundry than dragging himself off to 9-10 hours of drafting and reviewing renewable energy contracts. Sure, his organizational skills may not be that of a Virgo with Libra rising female, but then again, the kids may be better off with someone much more supportive of letting loose and leaving those dishes 'til the next morning. How fortunate am I that he works his tail off so that I have the personal freedom to be home with the kids if I so choose?
Today, our family intentions were to take our two children and Ram's parents to the Braves game. My husband is an avid, loyal, undeniably passionate fan whom you'll find trolling through Scout.com and any other Atlanta Braves forum on any given day- especially game day. By the end of breakfast though, in rolled a document that needed tending to and a client called our home line on a Sunday morning, and that Sunday morning was this morning- Father's Day. ['Thank you for paying our bills, thank you for putting food on our table,' we reminded ourselves.] So, Ram planted himself on the couch and got down to business after staying up until 4:00 a.m. finishing up an entirely different contract. Did I mention how much I admire my husband for swallowing his personal plans on his day to support our family? With the Braves game now 90 minutes in, he's upstairs snoozing with our 15 month old for an afternoon nap. And thank goodness for that, as we're spending the day at Ram's parents' where there's a 50 inch screen with the game on. We're down by 5-4 to the Royals, he'd probably be switching it off feeling like he's wasted an hour of his time since the last time he checked in... we were up 2-0 with two outs in the first inning... a crummy downturn as he predicted with the pitching line up. At least now he can use that handy DVR FF button until we come back in the bottom half (here's hoping!). Ram was never a Kawakami lover anyway... but I digress.
My dad, Papa, came into my life while in college. He met my mom while I was still struggling with a volatile relationship with my birth father, so I initially didn't take a quick liking to him. I was possessive and bratty. I had no idea that the most caring teddy bear of man sat inside this intimidating Army Ranger body. Eight years later, this I know: there is no greater match for my mom than this man whom is so God- fearing and -loving, who finds a way to bring her on most every business trip he can, who adds pounds to the waistline of anyone who stays longer than tea for he shows his love through good old comfort food cooking, who has kept all seven adult children in this combined family in communication as best he can amid family dramas, who just proves each day that you don't have to grow old in spirit or heart. So Happy Father's Day to you, Dad, who has taught me so much about acceptance, forgiveness, and resilience.
A special Happy Father's day to my father-in-law, Ranga Rao, or Jaygi, as the kids know him. Always one to share the miracles of God with me, Jaygi has carved a special place in my heart. Experiencing change secondhand while he's grown to love me as his daughter- I never thought we'd be as close as we are now. Call me pessimistic, it is not uncommon for Indian parents to deny acknowledgement or acceptance to a Caucasian American match for their Indian American child. It took a little time, but how far we have come since those first uncomfortable days! He is so wonderful to our children, and he's always preparing me a cup of coffee or tea or pancake. He loves to share his love and wisdom of Sai Baba and Buddha with all of us, and he's so supportive of and happy for Ram all the time, even in times of correction. I so enjoy our discussions, and his daily practice of meditation and prayer continues to remind me of the daily efforts I need to be taking on my own spiritual path. I am so grateful that he is the man who I can call my other father.
I am reminded of one very sweet children's tale, Without You, by Sarah Weeks. It's a story of a newborn penguin and its ode to its father, whom cares for it while the mother is out catching food for them all. The father stays warm inside the group of penguins circling each other for warm and protection and spends time on the outer, frigid ring too. And through all this time without food, he must stay strong for when the mother returns, his is the only voice she'll recognize, and without him the baby won't be able to eat or meet his mother. All of the infant's dependence sits with its sweet daddy. I just love that book. It both warms my heart for my children to focus on their love for their father and fascinates me that there are species who live like the penguins do.
"Where would I be, what would I do, without you?" Love it! Happy Father's Day, Ram. We love you so much.
