A daughter is like a small padded coat to moms, a little lover to dads. To daughters, fatherly love is like a high mountain, strong, silent and deep.

My dear litter lover, do you feel that love? I did not realize that until I connect the dots 

Back to 30 years ago, when I was a little girl, I had with a sweet and precious childhood memory with my dad. Because of family condition, I had to stay at home with my mom, far away from the school my dad worked. In one month, I could only see my dad for once or twice when he came home. When that day came, I couldn’t wait getting up earlier, put on my best clothes to wait in front of the house, I even ran to the grain yard several times to see whether he was closer. After hours and hours, finally a tall figure appeared into my eyes. That was my daddy! I couldn’t wait to run to him and jumped onto his arms. Every time when my dad was home, I felt like living in the paradise. Not only the delicious food he brought home, I also enjoyed the interesting stories he told. “Monkey King takes a needle out of his ear, breathed slightly on it, the needle becomes a golden stick. Demon！Monkey King wields the stick to the demon.” Under the moonlight my little buddies and I climbed from my father’s left shoulder to the right shoulder to mimic the scenarios. We laughed out loud and did not want to go to bed. Under the moonlight His shoulder was broad and strong. At that moment I felt my dad was the whole world to me. 

Happy time filed soon. When I entered to Grade 4 in primary school, my father finally got an opportunity to come back to the city to teach in a high school. This time, I could move to live with him too. How exciting that I did not need to separate from my father anymore. But happy childhood couldn’t be copied. I found he changed. He zipped his mouth. His face froze. What was worse he stopped telling me stories. Every day after school I can barely see him, because he came home so late that I was asleep. Every morning when I woke up he left home to begin the class. Unexpectedly I entered to a lonely teenage period. I learnt to cook for myself. I studied hard to try to get my father’s attention. One time I mustered up courage to give him my Chinese composition, “Dad, could you give me some suggestion?” After glancing for a second, he threw a sentence to me “What a terrible story you wrote. You should…….”Evaluation without Toastmasters training, discouraging and negative. I couldn’t stand for the harsh comments and ran away with tears in my eyes. I didn’t understand why my father changed to a distant and emotionless person. Disappointment and grievance filled up my heart. Afterwards, I kept away from him. I wiped my tears when I cried. I fought back when I was bullied. I licked wounds when I got hurt. I didn’t want to talk to him. I even thought of leaving home. I thought he didn’t care about me at all. Until one day in a summer, I learned something different. That summer night I fell asleep in the balcony without any blanket covered, exposed to the hungry mosquitos outside. But when I woke up I found I was lying in the bed. Can you imagine who can move the 45kilogram teenage girl not waking her up? It must be my father. At that moment, I realized that my father did not ignore me. He cared about me silently, loved me deeply. When I looked back and started to put myself in his shoes, I can understand him better and I found the traits of fatherly love engraving in every small stuff. As the backbone of the whole family, my father had to feed 5 hungry opening mouths day to day. But I never heard him complaining about the sufferings life brought to him. In believing “Education can change one’s life”, he successfully sent all 5 kids to college. From primary school to high school, all the magazines he subscribed became the best materials in my writing. He seldom hugs me. He even never says out his love to me. But his love walks me through my childhood, teenage period and adult stage, until today I become a confident woman standing in front of you.

Fatherly love is like a high mountain, strong, silent and deep. Strong enough to protect you, silent as rocks, deep at the bottom of heart, being around you wherever you go, whenever you think. Fatherly love is rough outside, tender inside. If he can’t respond, support and love you as you expect, my little lovers, show your understanding, consideration and love to him.