DEAR DAD| LETTER TO MY FATHER
Dear Dad, yesterday was Father’s Day, but I was not under
pressure to write anything on social media for you-you weren’t on social
media! And as is customary, I knew I would write you a letter by the end of the
year. Those letters mean very important things to me. You said you wanted me to
get an education so that I could carry our names to the farthest ends of the
earth. Each of those letters was saying, in part, that I was still on, getting
that education. In words untold, they were saying “I am still trying to qualify
for the job”.
It is an interesting thing that you yourself didn’t get beyond the grade school but would “sell your last piece of cloth to send me to school”. You see Pops, I have a duty. To get my education, and to get yours! And to make sure that the least education anyone would ever get in this family is yours. Thank you, Dad, for starting this chain.
I am grateful for all those times you didn’t agree with me but went ahead to support me. I could see in your eyes, each time you weren’t in agreement, but for each of those times, you trusted me. You trusted me, as a peer, not even as a son. You believed that I was wise enough to do what was right and that even the craziest ideas I have are worth following. It was you who let me have these wings. It was you who let me fly. I am sorry, that the first result of my wings was dropping the name “APOLOS”. It was sweet relief when I realized you were comfortable with flying with something that was bigger than both of us, the new mandate was to edge TUNGCHAMMA into the sands of time. You did your part, you passed an honorable name to us, it is now our turn to fly this banner and we will not diminish its worth. My prayer is that we will make it into a bank check that integrity, excellence, and Godlikeness can be withdrawn with.
You did not teach me hard work, you showed me; you didn’t teach me honesty, you showed me; you didn’t teach me to follow God, you showed me; you didn’t teach me the most important values that make a man, you showed me. Your fatherhood was not the kind found anywhere, you were a class of fatherhood yourself.
For all those times you were angry and I didn’t apologize, I am sorry. I truly knew you were angry; I just didn’t care. I was selfish. I thought that parents are the hardest people to please, I had forgotten that they were the people who wished us the best every time. Thank you Pops for showing me everything, if I didn’t become a better man, and father, it is not your fault- there was never a better father. By the way, it is not my ambition to be a less father than you are, if anything, I intend to raise the bar higher. My hope is to raise the standard. You set a very high bar for me, my kids will have to be ready to face a higher one.
The one you didn’t show me was a community, I gratefully learned that from your Darling wife, who is currently in Narnia. I will tell you what, I miss her but I am thankful that you are here, you ensured I did not miss her a lot. Sure, I wish she was here to be part of this glorious life that is opening up to all of us! Not to worry, she is enjoying a better one over there.
I did not come from an ordinary tree, my roots are in a family where God was exalted and where mother and father did not falter from responsibility. I am thankful for this root. I am confident about tomorrow, about the future and about everything because I know where I come from.
As I seek to make Our Father proud, I also want to make you proud and happy. I am a lucky son, you’ve gotta at least feel like a lucky dad!
And let me tell you a secret, I KNOW ALL THOSE TIMES YOU WANTED ME TO JOIN YOU ON THE FARM, it wasn’t because you wanted me to farm, it was because you wanted us to walk and work as companions. I am grateful for those times, they are some of my sweetest memories with you! I learned a lot from them. But sorry Dad, I don’t like farming. That’s the more reason why I will chop more books. (Wink)
I am hopeful that there are still many years ahead for you, the years when you could rest and watch the flower you watered become a garden and that you eat of its fruits. This is my prayer.
May God grant us the privilege to laugh over these memories!
I love you Pops!
It is an interesting thing that you yourself didn’t get beyond the grade school but would “sell your last piece of cloth to send me to school”. You see Pops, I have a duty. To get my education, and to get yours! And to make sure that the least education anyone would ever get in this family is yours. Thank you, Dad, for starting this chain.
I am grateful for all those times you didn’t agree with me but went ahead to support me. I could see in your eyes, each time you weren’t in agreement, but for each of those times, you trusted me. You trusted me, as a peer, not even as a son. You believed that I was wise enough to do what was right and that even the craziest ideas I have are worth following. It was you who let me have these wings. It was you who let me fly. I am sorry, that the first result of my wings was dropping the name “APOLOS”. It was sweet relief when I realized you were comfortable with flying with something that was bigger than both of us, the new mandate was to edge TUNGCHAMMA into the sands of time. You did your part, you passed an honorable name to us, it is now our turn to fly this banner and we will not diminish its worth. My prayer is that we will make it into a bank check that integrity, excellence, and Godlikeness can be withdrawn with.
You did not teach me hard work, you showed me; you didn’t teach me honesty, you showed me; you didn’t teach me to follow God, you showed me; you didn’t teach me the most important values that make a man, you showed me. Your fatherhood was not the kind found anywhere, you were a class of fatherhood yourself.
For all those times you were angry and I didn’t apologize, I am sorry. I truly knew you were angry; I just didn’t care. I was selfish. I thought that parents are the hardest people to please, I had forgotten that they were the people who wished us the best every time. Thank you Pops for showing me everything, if I didn’t become a better man, and father, it is not your fault- there was never a better father. By the way, it is not my ambition to be a less father than you are, if anything, I intend to raise the bar higher. My hope is to raise the standard. You set a very high bar for me, my kids will have to be ready to face a higher one.
The one you didn’t show me was a community, I gratefully learned that from your Darling wife, who is currently in Narnia. I will tell you what, I miss her but I am thankful that you are here, you ensured I did not miss her a lot. Sure, I wish she was here to be part of this glorious life that is opening up to all of us! Not to worry, she is enjoying a better one over there.
I did not come from an ordinary tree, my roots are in a family where God was exalted and where mother and father did not falter from responsibility. I am thankful for this root. I am confident about tomorrow, about the future and about everything because I know where I come from.
As I seek to make Our Father proud, I also want to make you proud and happy. I am a lucky son, you’ve gotta at least feel like a lucky dad!
And let me tell you a secret, I KNOW ALL THOSE TIMES YOU WANTED ME TO JOIN YOU ON THE FARM, it wasn’t because you wanted me to farm, it was because you wanted us to walk and work as companions. I am grateful for those times, they are some of my sweetest memories with you! I learned a lot from them. But sorry Dad, I don’t like farming. That’s the more reason why I will chop more books. (Wink)
I am hopeful that there are still many years ahead for you, the years when you could rest and watch the flower you watered become a garden and that you eat of its fruits. This is my prayer.
May God grant us the privilege to laugh over these memories!
I love you Pops!
Your Son,
Lengdung.
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