I NEVER called him Father.
\nThat title simply didn\u2019t fit him.
\nAll his life, like little trailers stuck to a short name,
\nThere were diminutives.
\nDiminutives?
\nYes, according to what Do and I just finished in third grade, the suffixes \u201c-el\u201d and \u201c-uk\u201d turn solid words into little, affectionate versions.<\/p>\n
All my life, by my side, I had a DAD or a DADDY.
\nThat\u2019s what I call him even now.
\nWhen they were handing out Daddies, I can confidently say I was the luckiest.
\nAlongside a very patient, caring, sincere childhood advocate, I was given someone who taught me how to live.
\nHe never liked to give long lectures.
\nThere were few lyrical digressions in him.
\nHe always spoke in a calm voice, without beating around the bush.
\nBut the three rules he taught me I know by heart, like a potter knows clay:<\/p>\n
1. There is no such word as \u201cI can\u2019t\u201d\u2014there is only \u201cI must.\u201d
\nThis rule, whenever spoken by him, the child who spent his own childhood in exile, seemed magical.
\nIn moments of life when things were really hard and I wanted to scream with all my throat: \u201cI give up,\u201d I would hear my Dad\u2019s calm voice, kind eyes, and heartrendingly strong words: \u201cThere is no \u2018I can\u2019t\u2019\u2014there is only \u2018I must.\u2019\u201d
\nIf he, as a child, could do it, why shouldn\u2019t I succeed?\u2014I would think as a child.
\nYou won\u2019t believe it, but I did.<\/p>\n
2. You must share.
\nAnd when sharing, take the one you want least.
\nReaching for a handful of sweets, he would teach me to choose the smallest, less shiny one, leaving the largest and most impressive for the person next to me.
\nWhen he brought two apples, he always pointed to the one that wasn\u2019t as red, with a few scratches, encouraging me to pick the \u201clesser\u201d one, proving that its taste was no worse than the \u201cperfect\u201d one.
\nBy taking the lesser, you always get the greater, he would say with a smile.<\/p>\n
3. Don\u2019t abandon the road for the path.
\nAnd I haven\u2019t.
\nOnce, a rule he strongly reminded me of at the right time allowed me to walk every day on a wide, beautiful road, a choice I have never doubted even for a moment.<\/p>\n
All my life, I felt a little like a princess, because beside me I had a KING.
\nA king who taught, cared, and sometimes just watched with his big, kind eyes, always prouder than anyone else, telling Do and me:
\n\u201cHere are my little treasures.\u201d<\/p>\n
To ALL THE KINGS OF THE WORLD,
\nWho carry us in their hearts throughout life with unwavering crowns.<\/p>\n
V.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-17567","istorija","type-istorija","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/istorija\/17567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/istorija"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/istorija"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}