One of the traits Ilocano have is being frugal, I can say it’s true, but of course not all Ilocano’s has this trait. And I am lucky enough to have father who practice frugality just to give his children a good life.
How will I forget the time when I was a kid, there are 5 of us in the family and our viand is just 3 pieces of egg, sometimes 1 can of sardines, or 1 pack of noodles, my mother just put salt to make it tasty. Having that 1 piece of dried fish and vegetable from our yard is already a great meal for us.
He is too workaholic, he woke up early dawn and went to farm own by my aunt. There is no single minute I guess I saw him doing nothing. Every time I saw him sitting, he’s to quit and he is thinking so deeply.
At my young age, I don’t understand why he is doing it, I know we have money because we have a little business. I just don’t understand why he can bare seeing us being in that situation. Sometimes, I can’t help myself got jealous to my friends who can afford to eat what they want and they have family bonding every Sunday. He have no time for us, I don’t even remember a time he invite us to eat outside. What I feel at that moment is that, he don’t love us and he don’t care for us
Despite how frugal he is, what I like to him most is he value education, no matter how many course or what course you want to take, he will support you. He even teach us how to become hard working and business minded person.
Out of curiosity, I ask my mother why my father worked hard as if there’s no tomorrow, why we have money but yet we look so poor. All the questions on my mind then got answered. My mother told me that our father want to give us good life and good future, he just don’t want us suffer what he have gone through and she said, they started from nothing and no one helped them to start up so my father need to double his time in working.
It is then I realized how good he is, that because of his love for us, he will do everything. And now that I am matured enough, all negative thoughts I have for him vanished. I can say that our sacrifices before is worth it, we now have our own farm and he don’t need to wake up early dawn to visit my aunt’s farm. We are not that rich but at least we now have a good life. We can now eat what we want and our future is now secured.
Now that he is old and sick, it is now time for me to repay all his sacrifices. All hard works that I am doing is for my family. I may not that vocal person, but I am so much thankful to God that He give him as my father. And for all the hard works and sacrifices he did and he will be doing, thank you, I love you and I salute you for that.
Thanks for dropping by.
Photos are mine.
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