This is the slideshow I made and delivered for Father's Day this June 2015. All credits for the pictures go to their respective owners (as the slideshow has its own credits page), and music is taken from Youtube. Grammar is not perfect. = = = Happy Father's Day to the one given to me by the One who is our Heavenly Father.

1. One
For the one given to me
by the One who I call my Heavenly Father.

2. Dear Diary,
It's been a hard day again. Homework is piling up, productions getting tedious
again. People are treating me badly, and being happy is getting to be difficult.
I question myself.
Why am I holding on? Why am I still doing everything I'm doing? It's tiring.
To be honest, I sometimes want to give up, to leave everything behind. Maybe
if I die or go and bury myself in a hole, I won't have to feel so tired anymore.

3. But just as I browse through my files in my laptop, deciding on cleaning up my
folders, I came across this picture.
And, for some reason, I found myself stopping for
a moment and thinking.
Dad smiles widely in almost every picture I have of
him. No matter how hard life is for him, he smiles -
like this.
Every single time.
And just like that, I found myself closing my eyes -
stopping everything - and remembering.

4. This man I call my father has taught me so much, and is one of the
biggest parts of my life.
He was one half of my first pair of
teachers, the other half being Mom.
While she was there to help me learn to
write, he was there to help me in math.
While she was my mock examiner every
time an exam comes up, he taught me
things I never thought I’ll use and need
when I reach this stage in my life.

5. He taught how me to speak in front of others, even if it was
through poems that seemed way too advanced for my age.
He was the reason why I knew Florante and Laura
even when I was not even three, and why I will
always know what comes after "All things bright
and beautiful..."
He was the one who first helped me write speeches,
and was the one who I must impress when I step on
the stage in either declamation or public speaking.
And most importantly, he was the first person who
made me appreciate music.

6. So maybe, just maybe, that is why I am where I am right now.
Here - speaking on-air, hosting, and getting messages across to others.
And all the while I am doing it, I’m singing.

7. This man I call my father is the one who teaches, and reminds, me of what it
means to be humble despite achievements and talents - and to never stop
learning.
It amazes me that knowledge is such a big
part in his life, and yet while he is wise, he
does not boast.
He is trusted by people, given a chance to
serve his fellowmen in the community and
church, yet he does not put his position or
title on a pedestal. He acts no different from
any normal person, except that he only has
some more responsibilities than others.
He never complains.

8. He's human. He gets tired - which is evident in how he gets caught sleeping a
lot of times - but even in his fatigue, he presses on and gets the job done.

9. He's human. He gets tired - which is evident in how he gets caught sleeping a
lot of times - but even in his fatigue, he presses on and gets the job done.
And even when he does, and so many opportunities open for him afterwards, he
chooses to go the path of the calm and the humble.

10. He gives all he can to make sure I can study, and that I can learn. And even
when my education comes at a cost, he is more than willing to pay for it.
One day, I hope I can be as wise as he is,
and yet be as down-to-earth.
And one day, when I finally wear the sash
that brands me a finisher of education's
race... I know that in some way, I will
reflect his efforts for me to learn.
And I will be proud of it.

11. But most importantly, this man I call father is associated to
one thing in my life: love.
He might not be too vocal about it, but every
"How are you, my little daughter?", "Let's sleep
now?" or "Kumain ka na ba?" is a subtle nudge to
my heart that he cares, that he worries for me, that
all he wants for me is to be well.
And with how much he loves food, he would also
never forget to make sure I eat a little bit more than
I would have wanted.
He would give me what little portion he had,
especially if it was of the food I like.

12. Even without words and just a simple move of letting me watch a movie or
Koreanovela with him is enough to remind me that he wants to spend time
with me.
And I appreciate it.
I may not look like I do at first, but I think about it
in quiet moments like this, when I'm writing here, or
thinking in my room. I think about it in the times
that Ate comes home and we're complete. I think
about it when I see him pray from the congregation
while I'm singing onstage in church.
And ultimately, I remember in every smile he sends
even with just a glance from me towards his way.

13. He loves me, every single one of his family, and most especially the
Lord who created all of us.
He is the prime example of a
man holding on to the
promises of God, and as
Mom exhibits the way that a
woman should always say yes
to His call to do what He asks,
he shows me how one must
serve Him.

14. I might be tired right now, but seeing him smile is enough reminder that in my
tiredness, there is one man who God gave to me who wants to ease that away.
With or without words,
in blatant or subtle ways,
he makes me feel that he
is always there for me
and that he cares.
The love Dad has for
me is just as evident as
the love God has for me,
and that is the one thing
I will never ever forget.

15. I might be tired right now, but seeing him smile is enough reminder that in my
tiredness, there is one man who God gave to me who wants to ease that away.
With or without words,
in blatant or subtle ways,
he makes me feel that he
is always there for me
and that he cares.
The love Dad has for
me is just as evident as
the love God has for me,
and that is the one thing
I will never ever forget.
From the past to the
present, I never saw
anything lacking from him
as a dad.
They say that men marry
women who resemble
their mothers.
I think that in my case,
even with the gender
swap, the statement still
applies.

16. I can only hope that when God gives me the one who I would love forever, he
is just as wise, caring, funny, and god-fearing as my Dad.
Because for the one who He gave me as a father, I could have never asked for more.

17. Happy Father’s Day, Daddy.
I love you.
For the one earthly father given to a Jeanette May Trinidad
by the One who she calls her Heavenly Father…

18. Music used is Brianna Haynes’s “Through the Eyes of My Father” –
retrieved from Youtube.
To God be the glory and thanksgiving for Ed Trinidad’s life.
-JMSTrinidad
06/21/2015
Pictures are taken from Facebook (with credits to Kuya Nate
Sanchez, Kuya Art Trinidad, Kuya Dave Trinidad, Kuya Ricky
Trinidad, Ate Jest Trinidad, Mommy Nimfa Trinidad, Kap.
Ricky Santos, and Kag. Jade Yupangco), Google and personal
photos of the Trinidad Family.