In the quiet moments before his departure,
She watches as her father prepares to return
To the land of his ancestors, to China,
A journey back to the roots of his existence.
She loves him dearly, her father,
Her heart heavy with the knowledge
That he will not be there for the special moments,
Those milestone occasions that mark a life.
No father to walk her down the aisle,
To give her away to the man she loves,
No father to see the children she will bear,
To hold his grandchildren in his arms.
But she wants to reassure him,
To let him know that the man by her side
Is not a replacement, but a reflection
Of his love and devotion, his strength and kindness.
She weeps as she speaks, her voice thick with emotion,
For she only wants him to be proud of her,
To be happy for her as she has found
The family she always longed for.
A family that mirrors and exceeds
The love he gave her growing up,
A family built on trust and respect,
A family that will stand the test of time.
Her father listens with a heavy heart,
Regret clouds his eyes as he realizes
That he never told her how much he loved her,
Never expressed the depth of his feelings.
But he accepts her choice,
He blesses the union,
Knowing that the man she has chosen
Will never abandon her, will never hurt her.
And in that moment, as they stand
On the threshold of a new chapter,
Father and daughter embrace,
Their love transcends words.
For, in the end, it is not the words we say
That matters most, but the love we show,
The actions we take, the bonds we forge,
That truly defines who we are.
And as her father walks away,
She carries his love in her heart,
A beacon of light guiding her path,
A reminder of the love that will never fade.
I wrote this one, as my love watched her father and family depart for Shanghai, their ancestral home. His final journey, for his final rest. Though they appreciated this... it broke something in me to write this.
