Growing up in Trinidad and Tobago my dad was there to groom my siblings and me into contributing members of society. He provided love, presence, guidance, correction, encouragement, and praise as needed.

He values education immensely so he sacrificed time, energy, and money to ensure we had the tools needed for school as youngsters. He would regularly admonish us to focus on studies now and play would come later. Play included handheld games, riding a bicycle, the opposite gender, friends, pitching marbles, and remote-controlled cars. Today, we are all educated.

To instill a sense of responsibility, we had chores on the weekends and sometimes before school.

Every morning around 6 a.m. to start our day we had family devotions, where we read the bible and prayed. This significantly shaped my spiritual beliefs.

When everyone was home, we had meals together around our dining table. This was significant in shaping my family values.

As I grew older, dad remained available for words of wisdom as I navigated various phases of my life. Today I am thankful that I get to wish him another Happy Father’s Day!

To all fathers out there, know that you are making and will continue to make a difference in your children’s lives. Happy Father’s Day!

Our heavenly father remains watchful over us – His children – is attentive to our call and stands ready to provide mind-blowing wisdom. Heavenly father, Happy Father’s Day!

The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,
And His ears are toward their cry for help.

(NASB, Psalm 34:15)

‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

(NASB, Jeremiah 33:3)