Wishing all my readers a very happy Father’s Day. Hope you all are having a great weekend with your dad or his loving memories. Today I want to take the time to talk about two amazing dads that I know – my dad and Serena’s dad. I think it’s safe to assume that they are two completely different people. My father was always very quiet but still involved in everything we did. He is a very hard-working man. Growing up I always looked up to him and I still do. I remember when I was little I would not finalize any outfit without showing it to my dad first, his approval meant the world to me. So no matter if it was a wedding, holiday or a birthday party I always picked the outfit that my dad wanted me to wear.
I still remember when he used to take us to the office, it was always an exciting experience. I remember going through his office drawers looking for cookies & other goodies. I think the last time I did that was just a couple of years ago! I wanted to be just like him & work where he worked. I was always a proud daughter. I don’t think I ever recall my dad saying I love you to me or any of us but the most wonderful thing about it is that we always knew. The only time I remember him being very emotional about me was on the day of my wedding. I was leaving for the hotel and had packed everything in the car, I said my goodbyes and left but then I had to come back to grab something else and I remember as I entered the hallway I could hear him crying loudly, I remember hugging him hard and crying with him for a long time.
As I climbed the career ladder my dad never said much. I would hear praises from the world but he would always just say I think you still need higher education. Sometimes I would get upset thinking there’s nothing I can do to please him but then a few months back I met couple of his coworkers at a dinner and they kept saying that your dad is so proud of you and talks about your accomplishments all the time. I was shocked but I thought to myself how silly of me, how could I ever think that he wasn’t proud.
These days since I’m so focused on the blog. Usually on Sundays when I visit him I’m always showing him my pictures or a blog post and all he says is ‘how’s the job going’? If I show him a picture of me and say see how pretty I look he just ends up saying it’s just good make-up and Sharjeel has good photography skills; which once again makes me upset but recently we were talking about something else and he said you know I really worry about you; what would happen when all this fame is gone? I worry that you might get depressed? It truly brought a smile to my face and tears in my eyes because at that moment I realized that this is just his way of protecting me. His love some how seeps through his words even when he is not saying ‘I love you’. My father is truly my role model and he always will be. I might not ever hear him say ‘I love you Zunera’ but I know his eldest daughter will always be his favorite (I’m sure my siblings will disagree).
Serena’s father is a completely different story. When she opened her eyes the first person she saw was her dad. I was completely out after a c-section but I still remember a nervous Sharjeel holding Serena in his arms and trying to feed her a bottle. I remember seeing tears of joy in his eyes. From that day on I have never gotten up at night to make a bottle for Serena. Our baby has been co-sleeping from day one and if she needs anything at night she always asks her dad and before I could even open my eyes Sharjeel is out of the room to get it.
When Serena was little he enjoyed changing diapers, giving her baths and getting her ready for bed time. Even now in summer they always walk to the nearby bakery to get a cookie and visit a nearby park everyday to spend father & daughter time. In winter they like spending time at guitar center and they also have regular jamming sessions at home. He tells her 1000 times a day how much he loves her. Some times he wakes me up in the middle of the night to show me how pretty Serena looks when she’s sleeping. Needles to say I get super upset but it doesn’t matter. Serena has daddy’s heart wrapped around her pinky finger.
When I think about my relationship with my dad and then look at Serena and her dad it tells me that when love is pure, it has no right or wrong way, its warmth/presence is just felt.
So regardless if your father is vocal about his love for you or not, just know that they love us dearly. Once again thank you for stopping by and I wish you all a very warm, loving & happy father’s day.