Tag Archives: courage

June 12, 2025 · 6:59 AM

Dad: A son’s first hero. A daughter’s first love.

The fathers in my family are affectionately referred to as Dad, Daddy, Pops, and Papi. Newsflash: None are perfect! But each one signifies love, courage, provision, and strength. Their eyes glow with purpose. Their smiles melt hearts. Their chest swells with pride. Their callous hands protect. They stand tall with dignity. And their embraces offer comfort and assurance. Yes, they are the pillars of our households.

It’s said that every man is trying to live up to his father’s expectations. Alternatively, he is trying to make up for his father’s mistakes. I’m not sure if that’s true. I only know that each man represented in my family strives to be the very best possible. Each holds a mantle and carries a torch for the next generation. Each dad represented in my family lays a solid foundation, even those who have crossed over to the other side. I can’t help but think about my own grandfathers. They were strong, respected, dedicated men with a constant presence. They left behind a legacy. When the tough got going, they didn’t cave under pressure. They persevered with Puerto Rican pride in every fiber of their being.

To the men in my family who are dads: I love each of you. I admire each of you. To my dear husband, who married me with four children, I share this quote. “It takes a strong man to accept somebody else’s children. It takes strength to step up to the plate, another man left on the table.” I salute you.

I salute you all. Remember: Any man can be a father. But it takes a special person to be a dad.

And to the newest dad in our family, my handsome grandson,

now with his precious

little girl. I am one proud great-grandma!

https://gofund.me/3f5e598b

9 Comments

Filed under Tribute to Fathers

Tagged as courage, Daddy, Father's Day tribute, fatherhood, heritage, legacy, love, pride, provider, strength, valour

June 16, 2024 · 4:04 PM

Dad: A son’s first hero. A daughter’s first love.

The fathers in my family are affectionately referred to as Dad, Daddy, and Papi. Newsflash: None are perfect! But each one signifies love, courage, provision, and strength. Their eyes glow with purpose. Their smiles melt hearts. Their chest swells with pride. Their callous hands protect. They stand tall with dignity. And their embraces offer comfort and assurance. Yes, they are the pillars of our households.

I salute you all. Remember: Any man can be a father. But it takes a special person to be a dad.

And to the newest addition to our family, my grandson’s precious

little girl, who has made me a proud great-grandma!

1 Comment

Filed under Tribute to Fathers

Tagged as courage, Daddy, Faith, Father's Day tribute, fatherhood, heritage, legacy, love, pride, strength

June 12, 2023 · 5:14 AM

Dad: A son’s first hero. A daughter’s first love.

Dad: A son’s first hero. A daughter’s first love.

It’s said that every man is trying to live up to his father’s expectations. Alternatively, they strive to make up for their father’s mistakes. I’m not sure if that’s true. I only know that each man represented in my family strives to be the very best possible. Each holds a mantle and carries a torch for the next generation. Each dad represented in my family lays a solid foundation, even those who have crossed over to the other side. I can’t help but think about my own grandfathers. They were strong, respected, dedicated men with a constant presence. They left behind a legacy. When the tough got going, they didn’t cave under pressure. They persevere with Puerto Rican pride in every fiber of their being.

To the men in my family who are dads (and have yet to be): I love you all. I admire each and every one of you. And to my dear husband, you married me with four children. I share this quote: “It takes a strong man to accept somebody else’s children and step up to the plate another man left on the table.” I salute you.

I salute you all. Remember: Any man can be a father. But it takes a special person to be a dad.

And to the newest addition to our family, my grandson’s precious little girl, who has made me a proud great-grandma!

3 Comments

Filed under Tribute to Fathers

Tagged as courage, Father's Day, fatherhood, heritage pride, love, provision, strength

January 16, 2014 · 1:12 AM

What I Took Away and Then Some

I’m stepping out of my comfort zone here. I usually refrain from writing about politics, war, or conflicts between nations, states, or parties. But seeing Lone Survivor moved me so much that I feel compelled to share what I took away after watching the movie in tears with my husband and someone else (who has asked to remain anonymous).

The theater audience was silent during the entire show. The movie was tense, almost unbearable, while I squirmed and gasped, holding my husband’s hand tightly. These Navy SEALs were brave men, tough men, and man’s men. They lived hard, fought hard, and died hard. We can infer from the title that only one of these men lived to tell his incredible story. However, here’s what I took away.

At the end, as I watched the credits and some actual footage of these men, a stark reality hit me. The video featured segments of these real men interacting, laughing, and sharing tender moments. They wed, danced with their bride, and held their newborn. I witnessed a new bride kissing her husband over and over with crumbs of wedding cake on her face, mingled with tears streaming down. At that moment, she is living her dream.

These soldiers who died were someone’s son, brother, uncle, boyfriend, fiancé, husband, and father. I wondered about the women left behind and suffering in silence. We don’t hear much about them: Left behind is the torn heart of a woman who loved a soldier. Her heart aches and bleeds, paying the price of loving someone whom she has had to share with strangers while he fought for their country. I pray she finds comfort and strength knowing that her courageous soldier didn’t die in vain.

And lastly, while walking to our cars, the one who had joined us to watch Lone Survivor with tears in his own eyes said, “I learned a hard lesson tonight. I would’ve killed the goat herders originally. And then, when I saw what the man and the boy did for Marcus — even though it put their lives and the villages in jeopardy — I was convicted. It wasn’t an easy thing. But they did the right thing.”

And those very words moved me more than anything …