Happy Father's Day.

I’m writing this tribute to all the wonderful fathers and grandfathers. They put in so much hard work to raise their children and grandchildren.

They are some of the most unsung heroes in life. We owe to them a lifetime of gratitude and appreciation for their sacrifices and contributions.

Without them, we cannot be alive. More than protecting us, they show us how to live at an important stage in our lives.

We will never know and understand what they have to go through to bring up their children.

Every good father excitedly awaits the coming of his child. He plans to be a good provider and has nothing but the best wishes for his offspring.

As an inexperienced father, there were many concerns running through his mind.

In the process of bringing up the children, he has to go through many heart-wrenching moments. Many of these experiences may bring him to the lowest points in life.

If fathers were to record all the misdeeds of their children, they will have a lot of pain and sorrow to share with them.

They can recall countless of times when their hearts were broken because of them.

They may even carry these wounds and not share them with anybody. They may not show their anguish and anxieties.

Many of them were taught to be ‘machismo’, to put up a false front of strength and courage.

They won’t openly express their feelings and emotions, especially the negative ones. That is one of the reasons why they have a generally shorter lifespan than women.

Fathers will never take children’s disappointments at heart. They are created to love and designed to give their best to their children.

They  will never complain about sharing their income and resources to bring up their children.

They know children are their flesh and blood, and they are emotionally bonded to them throughout their lifetime.

Yes, fathers are not perfect but every father will tell you he did not set out to fail.

Every father wants to be a good father. In his heart of hearts, he wants to teach his children well and set a good example for them.

He desires to bring the children up so that they can be much better than him. They can live a better life, a life that is probably beyond his reach and which exists only in his dream.

The sad truth is, there are no schools or academic curriculum dedicated to teaching him how to be a  father – not just on how to do a good job but also how to improve his fathering skills.

Sadder still, along the way, he made mistakes and his children might have to suffer for some of them. By the time, he knew how to get it correct, the children would have probably grown up.

Children can only fully understand a father’s challenge when they become parents. They will then realize how difficult it is to be a parent and to give of themselves in discharging their responsibilities.

That’s why we need to forgive our fathers. We should never hold any grudge, resentment or worst, hatred against them.

We, too, are imperfect and will need others to forgive us too.

We need to look at the good side of our fathers and catch them doing good.

We need to be grateful and appreciative of every single good deed that they have accomplished for us

We owe it to our father to make every single day, a safe, secure and happy one for him.

We need to honor him, respect him, and love and care for him to the best of our abilities.

Truth be told, we can never love our fathers enough. We can never repay them for all that they have done for us.

We can never do enough for them.

Perhaps, the best way to love them is to be the best parents to our children and children’s children.

The cycle of love, kindness and compassion will then improve and continue.

I pray that you will have a FUNtastic Father’s Day today.

In fact, every day should be a Father’s Day.

Go4It!

I hope this message will find a place in your heart.

By the way, I have also recorded other reflections.

Visit my Inspiration blog at http://liewinspiration.wordpress.com

Visit my Transformation blog at http://hsrpatrickliew.wordpress.com

Please read them and continue to teach me.

Life is FUNtastic!