I always remember you like this somehow. A hand on my shoulder, beside me in the worst moments, backing me up. You never got angry with me in this life, never shouted; we solved things in calm. You never taught me by forcing anything, which is why you were always my favorite teacher. After our last Friday prayer in Sultanahmet you told me: I saw a dream in the mosque; if it is true, my Lord will take me from you this year. That is when a stone settled on my heart and never moved. On the last day in the hospital, swallowing hard, you urged me toward service, the cause, family, faith, and this homeland, and those words carved themselves into my mind. And when you smiled as you took your last breath, that smile has never left my eyes. I promised to spend a life on your path, and to give my last breath with a smile as a friend of the Lord, the way you did. Today is Fathers’ Day. I am short one again. When missing you hurts, I remember I belong to a community of orphans and give thanks. I miss you more than you could guess. I know you see me from somewhere. Happy Father’s Day, Dad. I am the son who would not leave your side even on the coldest winter morning prayer.
A fatherless Father’s Day
