Michael Perera Jayasuriya Remembering my dad

You were born on 16th August 1895,   
In the staunchly Catholic Village of Kalamulla,   
The little Vatican of Kalutara,   
Dotted with five Churches built on the Coast Line,   
You were educated at Holy Cross College, Kalutara,   
The only Catholic Boys’ School situated between Moratuwa & Galle,   
Keeping its flag flying high to-date,   
With its Sister School Holy Family Convent situated close-by,   
Today, Sixteenth August on Your birthday,   
It would have been a truly Momentous Day,   
If you had lived to date,   
But, God thought otherwise,   
On this day,   
You would surely be looking down at me from Heaven,   
As I recollect the way we were brought up in life step by step,   
And the deeds of a beloved Father,   
Life was always a hard struggle for you,   
I can still remember those difficult times,   
Sorrows and Worries, Obstacles and Setbacks,   
You had them all in plenty,   
In your young days being duty conscious,   
You had waited and waited,   
Till your elder sister walked down the aisle,   
Before taking the all important step in your own life,   
Your never had a chance,   
To own a house of your own,   
Living in rented houses was the norm of the day,   
But you never tried to own them through legal or illegal means,   
As a devoted Father,   
And as the head of a loving Family,   
You braved them all,   
With clean principles and faith in God,   
You fed, clothed and educated us,   
You looked after us in sicknesses and injuries,   
You did all that, with what you got as monthly pay from Civil Medical Stores,   
How you managed to do so much with so little is still a mystery to me!.   
You never had any Bank Account in your name,   
You never tried to earn a single Rupee in an unjust way,   
You never owed anyone a single Rupee either,   
And you taught me by practice how to live within one’s means and that- money is not everything in life,   
You were firm in your decisions,   
You were not a silent spectator in the face of untruth and injustice,   
You feared no one in this World,   
You feared only God,   
And, a moment before you clutched God’s hand on 24th January 1993, at the age of 98,   
You would have felt contended to think,   
That you had brought up three daughters and a son, to what they were on that date,   
With your sweat, toil and sacrifice,   
Now it’s my turn to do better,   
And to pave a path for my Son and two Daughters,   
To reach greater heights in society,   
A wish so dear to your Heart - A struggle I just have to win,   
To instill in you again and again,   
That you certainly had a Son,   
Worthy to carry your SURNAME,   
Whom you named SRILAL   
Dad, I am your only son - Srilal Jayasuriya