Father's Day

30 years ago today, my father celebrated Father's Day for the time as a dad. No longer was he celebrating his dad, but he was being celebrated for who he was. At that time he had only one child, a beautiful baby girl, named Angelita. It was the next step of producing a family of his own. Two years after that, he would be celebrating with another child in his life, a little baby boy named after himself and his dad, Gilbert Felipe. With this new edition to the family he came to the realization that his actions now had more weight than ever, because he saw that the next generation of his family would carry on what he acted out around them. Who he was, they would be. This was his turning point where he turned from a dad to a Father. It was no more of the simple biological connection that he had, but a life choice that he now would be a father. He changed who he was to be the man in these children's lives who would provide food when hungry, water when thirsty, comfort when brokenhearted, and above all love in every moment. By the grace of the Lord, he was a good father to these children. He did his best to be what they needed him to be. And with a passion unknown to those without children, he loved them, with all his heart. Nine years after his second child, I was born. A new child, different from the others that he had came into his life and with arms wide open, he welcomed me with the same love that he gave my older siblings. 20 years later, I know my father loves me, no matter what I do, say, think, he loves me. His love for me has shown the love of the Lord for his followers, and what a precious gem I am with all my imperfections, blemishes, mistakes and flaws. That is the difference between being a Dad and a Father, the choice to stay present in their lives and love relentlessly, as our Father has done for us.