A Father’s Day Surprise

“Mano, do you know when Father’s Day is celebrated?” Ali asked his sister.

“Yes, it is going to be celebrated on June 19 this year. Yesterday my friend and I were talking about it.” Mano replied.

“Do you have any idea how we should celebrate this day and make it memorable for Dad?” Ali asked.

“Hmm... I was thinking about it too and have some ideas.” Mano answered excitedly. “What are you kids talking about?” their mum asked, entering their room.

“Mum, we were wondering about how to celebrate Father’s Day.” Mano said.

“Oh, I am surprised you kids remembered! Well, I am thinking of cooking some favorite dishes for your father. You both should think of ways to decorate the house beautifully.”Mum said.

“That would be great!”said Mano and Ali together. Both of them got up smiling, thinking of hundreds of ways to celebrate Father’s Day. Mum went to the kitchen, and Mano and Ali started doing their homework. But soon Ali noticed Mano deep in thought so he asked what the matter was. “Ali, I was thinking that our parents do everything for us and in return they want nothing. Isn’t it bad that we never think about them and are always concerned about our needs?” Mano replied. “Sometimes we are so busy with our lives that we don’t pay proper attention to our parents. We should listen to whatever they say properly and answer them. We must also study hard to get good grades.” Ali nodded.

The next day, all three of them, Mano, Ali and their mum, got busy preparing their surprise celebration for Father’s Day. Mano drew a family picture with her crayons, Ali bought balloons and candles and began writing a poem which he planned to sing that day. In short, a lot of things were being planned and prepared.

Finally, when Father’s day came, both Ali and Mano came home from school and started decorating the house.

Ali and Mano cried out together, “Happy Father’s Day!”

My husband’s sister-in-law died of cancer at 33, leaving a confused son Todd in the care of his father, who was not able to handle his own life. For the next 6 months, Todd was not only dealing with his personal world torn apart, but he was often laughed at and bullied (欺凌) by his classmates. What to do with Todd became the topic of family meetings and discussions.

Several of my husband’s relatives wanted to invite Todd into their homes and families, but they hadn’t made a decision yet. Our family of five—my husband, our three young children, and I—lived miles away from the rest of the family. Perhaps the best solution would be to remove Todd from his current location. After many serious discussions, we decided to take on the challenge. We would give him a fresh start—a new life.

We also determined that the choice to live with us must be Todd’s. When he was asked, he replied YES as if he had found a life-saving raft in an ocean of helplessness. That does not mean he was not afraid—he was terrified. I was, too. What if I could not be the mother he needed? How would my other children accept him? The day he was to arrive, I prepared my daughter, aged eight, and son, aged seven (the baby was too little) to help them understand that their cousin was coming to live with us and would be like an older brother. Their little minds thought it was wonderful!

When Todd arrived, he stood in the doorway, his face white with fear. He knew, and I knew, that the next step he took would change our lives forever. At ten years old, he had already experienced more emotional pain than most people do in a lifetime. “Todd, come in,” I said. “We are so excited to have you here. Come into the kitchen. I’ve made a cake.” I hoped my words were welcoming and cheerful.

Todd still stood there, not moving.

At that moment, Todd couldn’t hold back his tears any more.

My son Ben had hardly heard of his cousins Marcia and Juli before we moved to their hometown. Since we’d become neighbors, I thought he should get to know them. So, I invited the cousins over for a meet-and-greet one afternoon.

When the bell rang, Ben rushed to open the door. In came Marcia, a chatty, retired schoolteacher in her 70s. Dragging behind her, relying heavily on his walking stick, was her over-eighty-year-old husband Juli, who used to be a sports lover. Not having seen him since I’d become a mom, I wondered whether he was kid-friendly. With one glance, I quickly decided that he probably wasn’t.

After the introductions, we sat down to have a chat. Ben, who was 4 at the time, stared curiously at the cousins. Suddenly, he eyed Juli’s walking stick, which stood right beside his chair. “Why do you have a stick? ” he asked abruptly.

Juli paused for a while as he hadn’t expected my son to speak to him. Then he seemed pleased that Ben had noticed something about him. He briefly explained, and invited Ben to try out the walking stick. Excited, Ben stepped up, took it in hand and walked with it around the room. The serious look on Juli’s face softened as he watched. That afternoon, Ben jumped in and out of the room several times to have fun with his new friend. Toward the end of the visit, Ben sneaked over to Juli, wordlessly climbed onto his lap and gave him a hug. After a little surprise, Juli’s lips curved into a subtle smile.

During the following two years, Juli often came to babysit Ben. The two would call each other buddy and laughed loudly together, even though one was much older.

One summer evening, unexpectedly, I received a painful call saying that Juli had just passed away, which came as a shock to me. I gently told Ben about the terrible loss, explaining that Juli was 85. “That was so young!” Ben shouted between tears.

The next day, we decided to visit cousin Marcia.

Before we left, Marcia told Ben that she had something special to give him.