My Father

 Virgilio E. Bunao
June 5, 1946 – April 4, 2002

On his tombstone, you see this. People see his birthday and the month, day and year he passed. When I look at this, I see the dash (-) in the middle. We often neglect to see the true meaning of this symbol when looking at tombstones. This symbol tells a story about a man’s life. It represents 55 years of being a good son, father,  wife, friend, brother, a mentor and a teacher. The dash, though it is so small in size, embodies the great things he has done for many people. He was always generous and unselfish, always thinking of others first before himself, loved his wife and 6 children, always had a great smile across his face and lights up a room full of people on dreary, winter day. His charisma and words captivates and inspires everyone around him. A big advocate of sports, particularly golf and tennis, and hot coffees in the morning, he hardly missed a day of work. He was courageous, tough, strict, but on the same token soft in the inside and a big cry baby when no one is looking. He was always full of wisdom. He knew always what the right thing to say and when to say it.

The dash is a symbol for a lot of things about my father. It is an epitome of his life and how rightly he lived it. He was a good man and I miss him. Dearly. More than anything, I miss our conversations.

Six years today… it seems as though it was just yesterday.-V