My father lived a wonderful life and I am so fortunate to have been born his daughter. He was full of life lessons and no matter what, he always stuck to his guns. He was very headstrong (probably as a result of his Greek and Turkish heritage) and would let you know loudly when he thought you had screwed up!
When I was considering joining the Foreign Service, the one thing that caused me to hesitate was that I would most likely be living far from Dad. I talked to him about it and he encouraged me to "go for it." For me, being away from him was one of the most difficult parts of being assigned overseas. When I found out I was going to Pakistan, it took me a month before I could write to him, letting him know where I would go next. When I got his response, saying that he trusted that I knew what I was doing, it was a huge relief. And I know he was proud of me.
I know that when I'm in Pakistan, my father will be with me. He is at peace now, taking wonderful deep breaths without coughing. He's probably on the back nine with Ben Hogan, hitting the ball long and straight.
I love you Dad.
6 comments:
My condolences. He sounds like a great man.
Thank you Becky. I believe we all think our dads are the best. Mine was no exception and I will miss him dearly. But I was so fortunate to have him until he was 97 years old. :)
Thank you for sharing this and I can't imagine how you must be feeling now, other than relieved you were able to see him and not get that call that all of us in the FS dread most. I'm certain he's proud of your accomplishments.
Thank you Caitlin. Even though he is 'gone' now, I know I'll feel he's closer than ever to me when I'm overseas.
I'm so sorry to read about your dad. You really were so lucky to have him for so long, and so lucky to have a father who was so supportive. I'm also so glad for you that you were able to be with him and see him before he passed. That's one of the hardest things about the FS, I think.
On another note, I've been reading your blog since you were in Honduras. I can't believe you're already moving to your third tour. How time flies! Best wishes to you.
Anon,
Thank you so much. I was fortunate to have had my home leave timed so that we could spend time together. He was a great man and I don't use that term often.
Yes, time sure does fly! This will be my final tour, ending June 30, 2014. I have some ideas about my after(FS)life...but a bit too soon to even investigate them fully. In a year, watch for me writing about panic mode setting in!
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