Still My Dad, Still My Hero!

Today in church (Friday night actually), I saw a young man show his dad his fingers and my mind flashed back 30 years, 30 whole years!

A young man myself at the time, on my one-year sojourn in a boarding house, my first year of Secondary school.
Not sure what exactly I had been up to that day, but somehow I ended up with a big splinter buried deep in my thumb, the left one I think, all the way in as far as the nail could be seen.

Ok, pause. No, I couldn’t pause, my whole life was flashing before my eyes.

What did I do? How did I get here? What could I do? Not sure what else went through my head that day, but I’m sure a truck load of pain was a major part of it.
There was no way to pull it out; even trying to cut the nail only inflicted more pain. I had finally done myself in -

Death was inevitable!

Then the call came, a message from the school authorities, ‘my daddy was around’.

Wow! Who told you they were already digging my grave? Who told you I needed you at that very moment? Who set you on the road towards me hours before knowing you’d be needed by the time you arrived? Who? (Now I know Who)

There you were, pleasantries didn’t matter, I (my thumb) was dying.

I showed you the thumb and you bought a pack of razor blades then set out to operate.
You dug in, a tiny cut at a time, little by little one chip after another the nail gave way and in no time the splinter was evicted, forever!

I was free, my thumb was alive, I was going to live after all, shame on my adversaries.

How I stood still the entire time till date I don’t know, and how not one drop of blood was shed is another miracle on it’s own. But you did it. You saved me from agonising pain. You saved my life!

Who knows, maybe it’s exactly 30 years ago today. Maybe that’s why I walked past that young man and his father in church at that very moment. Who knows?

Who knows, maybe I’d have lost a thumb, maybe worse, but you were my knight in shining armour that day (and several others). You were my hero!

Today I remember you and I thank God for you. You were you after all. You taught me things, showed me things, shared your music with me, your engineering heart, how to open up gadgets and put them back together perfectly. So much came from you, even how to cross the road safely. Hmmm!

I pray I become more than the man you were, more than the husband you were and more than the father you were. because I know for sure you wouldn’t want less of me.

Thank you #daddy. #LoveYouStill #RemeberYouStill #StillMyDad #StillMyHero

— Written October 01 2016 (non fiction)

Today you would have been 77, and though it’s not been easy I will chose to celebrate you still. Happy birthday dad!

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