FATHER’S DAY REFLECTION
In a world that celebrates occasions with grandeur, Father’s Day stands as a solemn reminder, not just of what we must celebrate, but of what we are forgetting. We see messages, flowers, phone calls, and social media posts today, but how many of these gestures extend beyond this Father’s Day? How many sons and daughters remember their fathers when the world isn’t watching?
Today, as we wish “Happy Father’s Day,” let’s pause and reflect on the silent sacrifices of the man who taught us how to walk, held our hands through storms, and carried the weight of our futures on his tired shoulders. The father who denied himself pleasures so his child could smile. The father who never showed his pain, who aged quietly in a corner of the house, his value fading in the eyes of those he once called his own world.
Yet, in today’s fast-paced life, many sons have left their fathers behind, neglected, ignored, and uncared for. Some lie sick on hospital beds, waiting for a visitor who never comes. Others sit alone at home, staring at the door that rarely opens. The man who once stood like a wall of protection now leans on a cane, and sometimes on strangers, for a word of affection or a cup of tea.
What has happened to our values? Have we reduced fatherhood to a status update or a yearly phone call? Have we forgotten the sleepless nights he spent waiting for us to come home safely? The meals he skipped to pay our fees? The wounds he hid to appear strong for us?
It is heartbreaking to see that while we spend thousands on luxury and leisure, many fathers survive on old-age pensions, discarded not just by society but by their own children. We wear suits and ties today to dine with them, and tomorrow, we walk away as if their love has expired with the calendar.
Father’s Day is not about celebration, it’s about realization. It’s not about one gift, but about gratitude. It’s about returning the warmth we once received. A father never asks for much, just respect, a little time, and a feeling that he still matters. That he is not just a memory in a frame, but a living legacy of strength, sacrifice, and endless love.
Let us not wait for regrets to teach us what we should have done. Let us not wait for an obituary to write our emotions. Let’s care while we still can. Hug your father. Sit with him. Listen to his stories again. Let him know he is not forgotten. Let’s make Father’s Day a lifelong promise, not a one-day formality.
Because behind every old man is a young father who once carried the world in his arms, and all he’s asking now is to not be left behind in yours.
Let us not just say “Happy Father’s Day” let us make our fathers happy, today and always.
(Author is a Columnist and can be reached at: [email protected])
