My Father Never Told Me that He Loves Me

My father never told me that he loves me. He never was the communicative type of person. So naturally, you wouldn’t find him running towards my direction with open arms and sweet mambo jumbo coming out of his mouth.

But, he actually showed me that he loves me..

When I was 13, the little shoe addict that I was (and still is) wanted a pair of Dr. Martens. It was quite the hype, except that I didn’t want the regular black Dr. Martens. I wanted red ones. You know what my dad did? He took me on a trip with him to scan every store that sold the chunky boots until we found the red one that I wanted after several attempts.

When I was 15, I got invited to a birthday party. A celebration in the nightclub kind of party. My very first clubbing experience. I really wanted to go, even though I was obviously under age. You know what my dad did? He didn’t tell me to bail on the party. He also didn’t want me to use a cab on the way back home at such a late hour of the night. So he simply took me to the party, waited for me in a coffee shop nearby and picked me up when the party ended.

Remember those end of school year recitals? I used to scan the audience for my parents. I will never forget the heartwarming feeling of seeing my dad sitting on the floor close to the stage to take the best possible pictures of my performance.

Then I grew up, and wanted to pursue higher education. I didn’t drive a car for the first two years of university. You know what my dad did? He diligently drove for 40 minutes all the way to my chosen university and back to pick me up.

When Jim Valvano, the famous American basketball player said:“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me”; I felt it. My father stopped his studies at a young age, yet he believed in the power of education. Despite the financial burdens that encountered his career, he made sure I received a good level of education in a private school. He believed in my capabilities and wanted to empower me with education.

Sami, will definitely not read this article, even if he did he wouldn’t understand it. But I insist on sharing these bits of memories that are near and dear to my heart on this platform to pay him homage. The world needs to know how caring and loving my dad is, but mostly I hope this brings you awareness that love can be expressed in many different ways.

So next time you have doubts that your father loves you, watch his love language. There are many ways to express love, oftentimes not in words.

Happy father’s day to yours too! Cherish the time you have with them, otherwise the memories.

P.s: Sami, I love you.