Dad

Dear Dad,

You’ve done your best to take care of me ever since I was a little. You tried to raise me with good values and a sense of right and wrong. You taught me everything you could (or at least everything I was willing to learn), and sent me out into the world with a bittersweet thought that your baby had grown up. Well, I’ll tell you what, I still haven’t grown up, but I am trying. It’s hard to be an adult, you know. Life can get so hectic and tiring. I guess the one comfort is that there is always hope. Hope for tomorrow. Hope for better times. Hope for the things that last.

I do owe you, more than I could ever pay. All the sacrifices you made and all the tears you cried were not a waste. I know you did your best for me. I need to tell you that I appreciate that. We both know neither of us was perfect. That doesn’t matter. Perfection is overrated. What matters is that you cared. You cared and you gave and you wanted everyone to be happy.

So how do I thank someone like you? How do I give back to someone who has spent his entire life doing absolutely everything he could do for me? Honestly, I can’t answer that question. I can only hope and pray that Allah reminds me every day of what you went through for me. I can try and tell you how lucky I feel to have such a wonderful dad and I can work to give back to you a little of what you gave to me; the best gift of all, the gift of my dad's love. It’s been a long time coming, but I think I finally get it. Thank you, Dad. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I believe that you are happy and safe now. I pray that we will be together in Heaven. Amin.