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If there is anyone I can never forget in life, then it’s certainly my dad. Talk about love, care, availability, dependability, discipline, and nurturing a child in the right path; I can boldly say that my dad did his best. He was someone who was willing to give up all he had just to make life more comfortable for others; and when it comes to his children, he surely would lay down his life.
Being a physically challenged person, there are lots of challenges I’ve had to face in life, and when the fact that I am from a developing country, where not much has been done to make life easy for persons with disability, is added to that, then one would get to understand that the challenges someone like me face becomes tougher. But despite all that, my dad was always there for me. From going with me to places I needed to go to, to getting my calipers and crutches repaired when they developed faults; he was always available to help when I needed him.
Perhaps, the greatest of all the things he did for me was the belief he had in me. My dad believed so much in me and in things I could do. He believed I can achieve success in whatever I set out to do, and his desire was for me to get to the top in life.
Therefore it was a big blow to me when he died 14 years ago when I was 17 years, 8 months, and 3 days old. The vacuum his death left is one that certainly cannot be filled. I have had to go through situations which I know would have been much easier if he had been alive. There were a few times I had needed him so badly that I cried. However, one thing I was quick to realize, even in my teenage years, is that confronting the situation and doing all you can to overcome is what eventually brings happiness. That is exactly what I have been doing—confronting my challenges with all I’ve got and striving to achieve success in all I do. And I know that when I eventually get to the top in life, I would have made my dad very proud of me.
My dad’s selflessness is a thing I will continue to remember about him. It is a legacy I cherish so much. Putting the interest of others before his, is a thing I learned from him and which I daily try to apply in my life. I believe if every child gets to learn a similar thing from the lives of their parents, especially their dad, it will help build a good character in the child, which in turn will make the world a better place to live in
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