Remembering the Original “Girl Dad”: A Tribute to My Father

What to say about the original GIRL DAD who loved us with the deepest affection until the very end? There’s not enough time and space!

The dictionary says a renaissance man is a man of many talents or areas of knowledge and that was true of my father: in music, in basketball, baseball, and soccer – he excelled in all those areas. He had this rich baritone singing voice and he was a super-fast runner. He once ran barefoot to catch a thief that stole something from my mom’s pharmacy in Korea; I clearly remember him coming back with bloody soles and pebbles in his feet. He caught the guy, and I remember thinking to myself: “Wow, my dad is a hero!”

Despite cultural pressure in an era where sons were favored to carry on the family name, my father never cared about that with us, and he never put limitations on us. I am who I am today because he always said we could be or do whatever we wanted to; quite forward thinking for a man with two daughters in those times. I am an eternal optimist because of him. Growing up in Korea, we had lively singalongs with tunes from Sound of Music – “Edelweiss” was a favorite- along with Korean folk songs. Later, he delighted in going to my daughter’s sports practices & games and watching my son’s performances.

He was one of those parents for whom an event didn’t happen unless he snapped a photo to remember the memory. Unfortunately for my kids, I inherited this habit!

In his last days, I held his hand and saw him draw his final breaths. He squeezed my right hand many times in those moments as if to reassure me that he loved us.

This picture, taken on his honeymoon, reminds me that even though he is no longer physically with us, his love, the memories and the lessons he taught me, remain.

아빠, we love you. We miss you so much. You will always be in our hearts.

#parentslove,#girldad