A letter to my father.

This is a letter I wrote to my father shortly after his 90th birthday late last year. On this Father's Day eve, I offer it, translated into English, as a testament of pride and gratitude, Happy Father's Day.

My Dearest Father,

In these hours after your 90th birthday I find myself thinking how fortunate I am to have you as my father. These thoughts are not a recent occurrence, they first started to come to mind almost 20 years ago with the birth of my son. 

At that time, I began to think how I could continue your legacy of a exemplary father and identify those traits that made you the excellent father you are. If I had to narrow these traits down I would have to say your non-wavering compassion, fairness, logic and love would be on top of this list. The safe and loving environment you and my mother created, where my sister and I could prosper, together with a household empty of ego, selfishness and anger, made for a childhood of comfortable normalcy not enjoyed by many. 

These factors would have been more than adequate for a so-called normal person, but as you know, my personal circumstances are anything but normal. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for you and Mom to have been confronted with this extraordinary situation and have the fortitude to proceed and prosper despite of it. 

While I understand that there were options presented to you to remedy this burden, you both decided to stay the course and make it work. My perseverance and success in life is a direct result of this decision. 

There are not enough pages for me to adequately describe what your love and guidance have meant to me but I will say, in closing, that I could not have drawn a better father, mentor and friend and for this I am eternally grateful.

Respectfully, with love, admiration and gratitude,
Your son,
NGM