Hi everyone, this week I’m giving you an additional short personal post on a day that is quite special to my family. Today marks our father’s 80th birthday so in memory of this I thought I would write a short-ish post in his honour.
This post is actually a poem that I wrote for my dad (thathi). I had wanted to write more but each time I started, my emotions got the better of me and the tissue boxes were emptied. I hope you enjoy the poem below.
A Birthday Poem for Thathi, on Reaching 80, in Heaven
Wishing you thathi, a birthday like no other on this special of days
Reaching your eightieth year would have been a huge milestone, an accomplishment of greatness.
Although you are no longer here with us in your earthly form, your spirit lingers on,
In all the brightly blooming flowers in your garden, crafts you created, and the smiles of your grandchildren.
In this poem I wanted to show my heartfelt gratitude to you:
From my childhood years, those first few in Sri Lanka that I have few memories of,
The photos we have of that time show me as a chubby baby, loved, treasured.
Then you and ammi brought me to Zambia, a land scorched with heat,
But it became our home for the next decade.
You showed me how vast our world was and took me to some amazing places.
For that I will always be grateful.
By seeing the world with you and ammi in those early years, I gained so much.
As I grew up, you gave me my heart’s desire: Siblings!!
I’ll always be thankful for the presence of my sister and brother,
And the guidance and love you gave us.
You showed us not just how to live, but to adapt and survive.
You taught us our history, culture, and gave us opportunities to love our heritage
By your words and actions every single day of your life.
For that I will always be grateful.
Your whole life may have been dedicated to service, but your love for the arts shone through with each passing decade.
You gave me a piano and sent me for lessons,
I learned to create music and grew to love both our Sinhala songs as well as the classics,
I thank you for giving me and my siblings a profound love of music.
You were our first teacher, and we learned not just academic lessons,
But those that were relevant in living our own lives.
No feat was ever difficult for you,
You never gave up,
You tried almost everything,
And succeeded in them all.
Whether it was cooking, woodwork, watercolour painting, or even singing,
You did it all, and you never, ever, stopped trying to teach us.
For that I will always be grateful.
It’s been just over a year since you left us for the heavens
Your garden is awash with the summer blooms, the birds fly around asking us for titbits, The grandchildren have grown since then, each harbouring your cheeky smile,
Your love for others and mischievous nature lives on in every joke malli makes,
Your love of cooking and strength in your faith lives on in all that Sashini does,
Your sense of adventure and kindness lives on in ammi.
Thank you, thathi, for the amazing life you gave us for the last seventy-nine years of your time here on Earth.
We will do our best to continue your legacy and fulfil all your dreams.
No matter where we end up and who we become,
We will always be grateful for all that you did for us in your life.
From your Loku Duwa, Surani, on your 80th birthday
Miss Mahee's Library of Reads 