Papi Serrano

I was inspired to write this on the eve of my father in-law's birthday.

I never met your father; unfortunately he went to his resting place before you and I met. But I still feel like I know him.

I know his laugh and his sense of humor. I hear his laugh in you. Your laugh sets the room on fire with joy and your sense of humor is equal parts silly and lighthearted. I can almost hear your father telling jokes, and struggling to get through them because he can’t stop laughing at the punch line he’s about to tell.

I know his passion. I see it daily in the white hot passion that burns in your heart and through your eyes. You love completely; you surrender and give all of you to those you love. No conditions, except for one; that they love you as much as you love them. Your passion also fuels your fight. The fierceness of a caged panther lies in every word when you are betrayed or hurt. I can see your father. Short and unassuming stature, but when he is challenged or offended he grows to be a titan. His voice is the unchained fire of a volcano.

Your father was a proud man and smart man. Wisdom and knowledge reflect in his dark, sparkling eyes. His intellect was not shaped and fashioned in the classroom; it was forged in the fires of life experiences. You have his quick wit and his unique talent for learning and growing as you live your life. You solve problems when others simply surrender. You hate the word “can’t” and are driven to conquer obstacles.

I see your father’s walk. The quick and purposeful steps he took on his way to work and the smooth and gliding strides he took when he was home and with friends. I see his steps in your steps. When you dance, it is your father snapping his fingers that guides your feet. It is his love and pride in his culture that sways your hips.

I never met your father. But to say I don’t know him would be a lie. I do know him. Because I fell in love with his most beautiful gift to the world. I fell in love with his daughter, Lizette.