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| I am proud to be your Son |
As long as Daddy is here everything will
be fine…These were the words I kept on telling myself when the tragedy of
Judah’s death struck us. I knew that something inside of me had changed forever
even if I did not know what that meant at the time, but I knew that I was not
going to be able to face this on my own… However, I manned up and did what had
to be done.
That
evening (when things came tumbling down) I phoned my Daddy. I will never forget
what he said. He said, “My boy, I am so sorry, Daddy knows this is a tough
thing to face… Daddy is here for you. We are on our way”. At that very moment I
knew I would be OK. I phoned Daddy again at 03:00 in the morning when my heart
felt like it had shrivelled up and died, when the pain was so overwhelming that
it was all I could see and feel. Again Daddy woke up answered the phone and
said, “Hello boy”. All I could do was cry. Daddy listened and then very
lovingly and full of compassion responded, “the Lord is with you, He is our
Strength right now. Just lean on Him, even if you do not understand everything
right now, I am on my way. We will be there on Wednesday.”
That is
my Dad, Joseph (Jerry) Pedro. Man of Faith! Man of Courage! Man of Strength!
Man of Compassion! Always there for his children, no matter what!
I
remember growing up, how Daddy would always seem to “bounce back” from every
challenge he had in life. Daddy’s resilience is absolutely remarkable. When all
the odds were stacked against him he would push back and overcome. The most
important lessons I learned from your life, Daddy, was to own up to the
decisions we make and to love unconditionally.
My prayer
is that I can be at least half the man that you are. You taught me to stand my
ground and reach for my goals. You showed me how to be a loving father, husband
and friend. To protect and shield the ones I love.
I honour
you Daddy! You are The Best Daddy I could ever ask for! Thank you for all you
mean to me. I love you lots!
