By Wylie Farrugia
There are many who are able to provide and many who protect. There are many who are able to motivate and many who inspire. There are few who can do all four and still manage to be a daughter’s first love, a son’s idol, and a mother’s soul mate. A man who is willing to go to the ends of the earth for those who depend on him is a special kind of man. He is a father, a daddy, pop. There are all different names and interpretations of who a father is, but I have learned that sometimes the best fathers may not be related by blood.
Growing up as the only sister out of three brothers, I have always gravitated toward male influences. I have always been what you could call a “Daddy’s girl.” My father (Pop) has been an inspiration to me for a slew of reasons, but one has become evident over the years and has changed my perspective on fatherhood. My father is not just a father to his biological children, of whom I am the oldest, but to anyone who does not have a father figure in their lives. Every family is different and many kids do not have fathers present physically or emotionally. Some of my very good friends do not have relationships with their fathers and consider my dad to be a father figure they can look up to when in need of paternal guidance. This is one thing that makes a father stand out: He treats everyone with love and reassurance.
It doesn’t matter where he is from or how much he has; a great father will always be the first one to give you the shirt off his back. Fathers want the best for you and, even with limited resources, would give anything they have to help you succeed. Fathers are our providers and sometimes the most priceless things they provide are not material at all. One of the things I am most thankful that my father has provided me with is a positive outlook on life. Ever since I was little, Pop has motivated me to be creative and explore the world around me. Now whenever I tell him my next idea of what I want to do with my life or a hobby I want to pursue, he encourages me to do what will make me happy. With this encouragement, I have let my creativity run wild and my heart be free. I have learned to appreciate the world around me and find pleasure in anything I do. It was never condoned to complain or whine because, through everything, he taught me to look at the glass half full.
Many people owe who they are today to their father. I am one of those people. A great father may not be a blood relative, but will still be there to provide guidance, love, and protection. This Father’s Day, let’s not mourn if we do not have a biological father present in our lives, but let us celebrate the men who have been there with us through it all. Let’s celebrate and identify our father figures who have provided us with something that is priceless. Everyone’s interpretation of a father is different, but this Father’s Day, thank the man who has made you feel like you are a valued and loved son or daughter.