A Father’s Prayer
(General Douglas MacArthur)
Build me a son, oh Lord,
who will be strong enough to know when he is weak
and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid;
One who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat,
And humble and gentle in victory.
Build me a son whose wishbone
Will not be where his backbone should be;
A son who will know Thee – and that to know himself
Is the foundation of knowledge.
Lead him, I pray, no tin the path of ease and comfort,
But under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge
Here, let him learn compassion for those who fail.
Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high;
A son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men;
One who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep,
One who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.
And after all these things are his, add,
I pray, enough of a sense of humor,
So that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously
Give him humility of true greatness,
The open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.
Then, I his father, will dare to whisper:
Ode to Theo
Serasa baru kemarin aku menimang mu
dan mengatakan "cepatlah besar, Nak."
Serasa baru kemarin aku bermain pasir bersamamu
dan belajar memberi nasihat, "setelah ini cuci tanganmu, ya Nak."
Serasa baru kemarin, kamu menangis karena demam,
dan aku gelisah, mencoba mengurangi deritamu.
Kini usiamu sudah beranjak 8 tahun, tanpa terasa.
Bahkan tubuhmu membesar dan melampaui anak-anak seusiamu.
Jika hari ini aku menatapmu, ada syukur yang membual dalam hati.
Ternyata Tuhan memberikanmu untukku, agar aku belajar
bagaimana mendemonstrasikan kasih sekaligus keadilan,
menunjukkan pelukan di antara pendisiplinan,
menyatakan bentakkan, tetapi tetap mengucapkan sayang.
Selamat Ulang Tahun, Anakku.
Doaku bagi masa depanmu;
Dalam genggaman Tuhan dan tuntunan firman-Nya.
Diberkatilah masa mudamu, diberkatilah masa tuamu,
diberkatilah hidup dan duniamu.
