An Ordinary Son's Letter To His Extraordinary Father

Dear Dad Choy,

                In the back of your mind, you might have had numerous thoughts over the past years concerning the four of us taking you for granted. That for 32 years, all of your efforts for us were all just washed off & underappreciated, that the Family you ideally dreamed of creating since your younger days have all been obliterated away. You felt that the four of us don’t love you nor even offered care about you and that you assembled this inconceivable idea in your mind that you were alone in your life… But now I am telling you that all of these contemplation running through your mind were never true, not a single one… Because we, beyond extraordinary doubt and to a great extent are truly grateful & deeply thankful for all of your sacrifices in giving us the most secured, unwavered and stable life that we don’t even deserve of having... But because of your unconditional & absolute love for us, you are still continuing to give it to us even up to this very day that we are already adults. So how could we have the right to question your love for us when the four of us knew in the bottom of our hearts that you have given away your personal dreams just so that we could taste & experience a beautifully established life because nothing would ever make you happy than witnessing the four us take pleasure & happiness from the unqualified & unrestricted labors of your heart…

                I have recalled & remembered so much in which I am very thankful for in your life. From the moment that I was born in this world, you’ve instantly decided to switch careers from being a Doctor into a Businessman because at that time, it was the most appropriate action to feed a newborn child’s needs because a starting Physician’s salary wouldn’t supply my demand. So without giving a second thought, you’ve readily left your passion of being a Doctor in order for me to survive. That is too much of you to sacrifice but you still did it for me. I have never said thank you for that but now I am saying “THANK YOU SO MUCH DAD”… when I was in my grade school, you weren’t always in the house that you built for us because you were constantly away, travelling for 10 hours straight to Laoag just so that you could sell cooking oil and provide for me & my sibling’s needs. You’ve worked non-stop & tirelessly for 32 years, creating several businesses such as video production, gaming centers, oil repacking, bottle recycling, cardboard manufacturing, water refilling station & many more. That’s how intensely dedicated & committed you are to your Family. 3 years ago, When I dealt with the biggest obstacle of my life, you as a worried & concerned Father cannot bear nor stand to watch your son suffer & become helpless. That is why, without any question, you instantaneously aided me in my worst financial situation. And I never said sorry but now I am saying “SORRY DAD”, Sorry for contributing to your financial burdens. Please do give me a little more time to grow & for me to return all the finances that you have favored me, although you weren’t asking me to pay it back but of course, as the eldest son, I would also want to return all the kindness & love that you have given me & my siblings.

                "Thank you for being the “IMPERFECT DAD” because that has allowed me to be closer with you because I knew that I am too, an imperfect Son…" We weren’t the typical Father-Son relationship. Well, we weren’t even the ideal but what I can say about us, is we have this “uniquely exceptional link”. I owe you a lot Dad, I only not owe you my life but my life after that… The plentiful & bountiful lessons that you’ve taught me from your unusual & bizarre military style of discipline type of approach is where I got my bravery, courage & audacity to face any difficulties in life, no matter how extreme it is because I was excellently trained by my Father to surpass these adversities in an effortlessly easy old fashioned way. If I were to have my own Family one day, YOU Dad, would be my inspiration on how I would raise my kids into fine, magnificent & exquisite men & women. Well, you have done it to us, you raised & elevated us into such… Praise GOD for your Life Dad! Happiest Birthday to you Dad! 


                                                                 Lots of Love,

                                                  From the Army of your Life – A.L

 - The Thoughful Son

***This Article is dedicated to the "GREAT" ARMANDO Q. LEYVA. Tatay, I always miss you and I love you so much...

An Ordinary Son's Letter To Her Extraordinary Mother

Dear Mom Cherry,

               If ever I would perform an inventory, record it and put all & every detail into a set of well-filed documents on how you did your job as a Mother & a Wife to the four of us in a span of 32 years. This would be my final evaluation, “That you were just so phenomenal & great on all aspects in your noble role of being a Mother/Wife to the four of us!” From the exact moment that you were giving Birth, you have willingly been taking every single pain & you have been preparing yourself in facing all the known risks, just to give the three of us a chance to experience living in this world, that is just exceptionally remarkable and we are so much indebted to you for that privilege called “Life”… From the time that we were infants, the way you gave your most special & unique care each second you were carrying us, even if your womb were still tender & fresh coming from your status post Caesarian operation, that is just unequaled & unparalleled, Let that scar on your abdomen serve as your unconditional sacrifice for the three of us... From our middle school years, your perseverance & tireless efforts in forcing us to drink our milk & take our multivitamins each & every single night, in making us sleep early so that we would remain to be the healthiest amongst every kid out there, for consistently waking us up at 5 in the morning for the past 20 years, for regularly bringing & fetching us at school, for the unlimited hugs & kisses that you were giving us before we would leave the house & for preparing us the most delicious & superb packed meals, that is just the most sweetest thing that a mother could do for her children… From our teenage years, your momentous guidance & advices on how we should start shaping our own future, your untroubled calmness of trusting us & gradually endowing us our freedom to explore what’s out there in the world, that is just so inimitable and unrivaled of you, that is why we want to say our most earnest thank you for letting us discover our true potentials in life… From our young adult lives, when you & dad could have chosen to live a luxurious lifestyle spending all of your retirement money by yourselves but instead you readily sacrificed all of your savings just to put the three of us in medical school, you solemnly cried together with us while we were facing our most dreaded pains & disappointments, you cheerfully celebrated with us in our pinnacle of victories, you easily became selfless when you surrendered your time for yourself just to be with us in Baguio, watching & providing for our daily needs even if you don’t need to because we were already grown-ups but still, you eagerly chose to take care of us, that is just extremely impressive & astonishing considering your unlimited amount of love for us… I could still very well remember when you were the first one who cried for me when I was dealing with the hardest blow of my life. And you were so ecstatically anxious because you can’t stand seeing me endure those bottomless tortures that I’m going through in my life and you were desperately crying & suffering because you can’t do anything to ease & alleviate your son’s distressed pain. But instead you went with me to the church, you prayed together with me in the church, you actively involved yourself with me in joining several of God’s ministries in the church & you wholeheartedly acted as my indestructible rock. Mom, I think I never said thank you for that but now I am telling you “THANK YOU…” And now that we are facing our adulthood years, there is only one request that the four of us would like to ask of you and that is “Please, don’t ever ever ever change…” I still need you to walk me down the aisle in order for you to finally meet your new daughter and I would love to witness that very day when you’d be taking care of your grandchildren, just the way you have taken care of me, I’d want them to have that piece of experience that I’ve had when you were caressing me. "You might not be the most perfect or ideal mother out there but you are by far “OUR MOTHER” and that attribute alone is enough for us because we truly love & accept you for just you…" Be strong Ma, Be patient with us… We may not also be the perfect or ideal children that a mother would desire but if there’s one certain thing that the four of us could guarantee you, is that we are not going anywhere. Ma, just give us a little more time to grow so that we would have that opportunity & chance to fulfill our promise to you, that we’d be the ones taking tremendous care of you… Thank you for the unconditional love, care, concern & patience that you are giving us, NO ONE COULD EVER SACRIFICE OR DO SO MUCH THAN WHAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR US IN OUR ENTIRE LIVES … Thank you for giving us our greatest inheritance and that is you raising us up in front of our Creator’s eyes, nothing could ever replace that treasure in our hearts… Happiest Birthday to you Ma! 

                                                                Lots of Love, 

                                                  From the Army of your Life – A.L

 - The Thoughful Son

***This Article is dedicated to the "GREAT" ARMANDO Q. LEYVA. Tatay, I always miss you and I love you so much...