Encouragement

I greeted my father twice today.

The first one was through text: "Happy Father's Day, Tay! I praise God for giving me the best father in the world!"

He replied, "Thank you, Lance, for remembering your father. You're the best. God bless."

I can imagine him getting teary-eyed while reading his phone. Between him and my mother, he has always been the more emotional type.

The second one was through a call, during my study break this afternoon. His voice was soothing, his chuckles hearty. He was in my mother's dental clinic, waiting for her to finish with her patients before they'd both go home.

I miss my father. In high school, he would wake up in the middle of the night to prepare a glass of milk for me as I studied for my tests. He would encourage me to read my Bible daily. He would force me to finish the food on my plate. And during the hot afternoons, he would bring me to the mall to eat halo-halo.

I praise the Lord for Tatay, a person whose life has been an encouragement to me and my brothers. The more I recount his sacrifices for us, the more I realize that I do not deserve him.

Don't you feel the same about your dads?