There are many special 'Dad' moments I witnessed in the past eight years of my husband's journey as a Dad to our kids. First as a husband, he stood by me when I delivered our stillborns in the hospital. When our baby was fighting for her last breath in the NICU, he knelt in front of the 'miracles' board at the entrance of the ward and pleaded with God for mercy. He didn't care what passers-by would think; he was only doing what every father would do in such dire situations - asking for his baby to be healed. When God eventually took our baby home, he did his first duties as a father -- handled the registration of the birth certificate before using it to register her death. He put aside his private grief as a father to nurse his wife back to health from septicemia.
Fast forward a few years later, we welcomed our baby girl and adopted son. He was the most hands-on Dad I have ever seen. Nothing is too smelly, gross, or mundane for him - not baby poo or drool or, as in this photo, sucking mucus out of our daughter's blocked respiratory passages. He embraced fatherhood with every ounce of his being and our kids adore him like no other. He unabashedly reserves his most radiant smiles and loudest cheers for his kids only. This Father's Day, I think he deserves a special reward, for being that sacrificial, hardworking Dad who continues to make everyday worth living for.
