A Father’s Legacy
Most fathers know that fatherhood can be the source of life’s greatest joy and its deepest satisfaction. Of course, they again know that no work demands more of their energy or more of their heart. It takes time and effort to do fatherhood well.
Knowing all of this, it can be hard for a well-intentioned father to know if his limited time and less-than-perfect efforts are making a difference. For such fathers, these words of counsel from two wise, experienced fathers may help:
One said, “Moments are the molecules that make up eternity!” And another observed: “It is not so much the major events as the small day-to-day decisions that map the course of our living. … Our lives are, in reality, the sum total of our seemingly unimportant decisions and of our capacity to live by those decisions.”
It could be that the best way for a father to bless and influence his children is by doing simple things with them, day to day, over and over: playing, washing dishes, weeding the garden, working on homework: just being together. Lasting memories are built in moments like these. Each daily decision to set a good example, to live with integrity, to love with loyalty, and to spend time together strengthens the bond between father and child. Surely there’s no better use of a father’s energy, heart, and time.
Yes, fatherhood comes with its sorrows and heartache as deep and poignant as its joys. But when a father has invested himself in the small daily moments, he doesn’t give up easily. He keeps loving, keeps trying, keeps being there for his family. Such efforts may seem insignificant at the time, but eternity is composed of these simple moments, and they add up to some of the deepest, most lasting joys that heaven grants us on earth.
For nearly 40 years, a father worked hard in a cement factory floor to provide for his family. The work was difficult, hot, and gritty, with changing shifts and long hours. He may have wished he had pursued a different line of work or that he had better options. But he felt a deep sense of duty and responsibility. So every morning he got up and went to work and somehow managed to do it with a good attitude.
This father represents countless others who work hard to provide for their families; they labour day in and day out to give their loved ones a good life.
While there’s certainly a lot of joy in fatherhood, being a father means doing things you’d really rather not do. Fathers make sacrifices.
From home repairs to car repairs, from doing yardwork to helping with homework; in a 100 different ways, they simply do what needs to be done. They set aside selfish desires and instead find joy in blessing their family. So instead of enjoying a quiet night at home, they support their children to prepare for daily activities and plays, sporting and school events. Instead of watching a favourite television programme, they go outside and play or work on a science project with their son. Instead of reading the newspaper, they puzzle over maths homework or read a book with their daughter.
In a day when people are encouraged to “find your passion” and “do your own thing,” it might be worth remembering those fathers who roll up their sleeves, go to work, and do things they may not particularly like because they love their family and because they are responsible and dependable.
All this is not easy, but it has never been easy to be a good father. Most do their very best, even as they make mistakes along the way. But they give and keep giving. They care and keep caring. They build strong bonds of love. And in the process, they do find their passion after all but it isn’t in doing their own thing. They become passionate about serving the loved ones who depend on them. And this becomes their greatest legacy.
BY SAMUEL ENOS EGHAN
Nutrition
Almond cake
Ingredients
– 5 eggs
– I margarine cup of sugar
– ½ cup of all-purpose flour
– 1 teaspoonful of baking
powder
– -1/4 tablespoonful of
almond extract
– -2 cups of very finely
ground blanched almonds
– -1/8 tablespoonful of salt
and ½ of tarter
– 1tablespoonful of grated
lemon feel
– ¾ cup of finely chopped
blanched almonds.
Method
-In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until light gradually.
– Add half cup of the sugar, beating until thick lemon coloured.
-In a bowl combine flour and baking powder.
-Add almond extract and one cup of the grounded almonds (Mix until nuts are well distributed)
– In another bowl beat egg until foamy. Add salt and cream of tartar, beating until soft peaks form.
-In a remaining ½ cup sugar. Fold in lemon peel and remaining ground almonds.
-Stir a quarter of the egg mixture and blend. (Gently mould mixture).
-Turn into a greased 9 by 13- inch baking pan. (Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 20 to 25 minutes until top springs back when lightly touched.
– cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the lemon syrup.
– Cut cake into diamond- shaped pieces (make 4 length wise cuts in cake, then cut diagonally 11/4 inches apart).
-Pour hot syrup over cake and sprinkle with chopped almonds. Let cool completely.
News
The silent strength of a single father: Augustine Donzuo’s story
The a world that often overlooks the silent burdens men carry, the story of Augustine Santiero Donzuo stands as a powerful reminder of resilience, sacrifice and unspoken struggles of single fatherhood.
As the world celebrates Father’s Day, it’s easy to focus on the traditional image of fatherhood which is provider, protector and a stern loving figure, but beyond these are silent struggles fathers go through especially single fathers.
For the past five years, Augustine has navigated life as a single parent of two children-a boy and a girl on his own while juggling the demands of work, education and emotional survival.
The story of Augustine is not just about parenting, it is about endurance, heartbreak, and an unwavering commitment to his children in the face of overwhelming odds.
He lives and works in Tarkwa in the Western Region, juggling life as a Fire officer, caretaker, and sole emotional support for his children.
His quiet strength is a reminder that fatherhood is not always loud. Sometimes, it’s found in the simple act of staying-when walking away would have been easier.
Augustine’s journey began in January 2010, when he married the woman he loved. Unknown to him at the time, she was already pregnant. Not long after their marriage, he was posted to the Upper West Region following his enlistment into the Ghana National Fire Service.
The distance tested their relationship early on. He tried his best to visit, and eventually brought her to join him. But subtle signs of strain began to show—mostly from his wife’s family. What began as minor disagreements cracked the foundation of their union.
By 2016, after six years of marriage, their relationship collapsed. Augustine was devastated. He had tried to reconcile, visiting her family, calling, sending money, but her responses became cold, distant, and final. “One day she told me, ‘I will never come today, I will never come tomorrow. I am not even bringing your children,” he recalls.
Despite the pain, he continued sending money for their upkeep. “I did it for my children,” he says. “Even when love is gone, responsibility remains.”
In 2017, Augustine’s ex-wife filed a complaint at Legal Aid, claiming neglect. But when questioned, her story shifted, first to abandonment, then to demanding more money. The panel quickly sensed the inconsistencies. Augustine explained how he had continued to support her, even buying food and supplies for her business which included loans he was still paying.
“What hurt me most was the dishonesty,” he says. “She told her family things I never said. At some point, I realised she didn’t want reconciliation, she wanted to cut ties, but with benefits.”
She requested GH¢700 monthly in support, a sum he said was impossible given his salary and loans. “Even after separation, I was paying school fees, buying clothes, sending money. If I wanted to walk away, I wouldn’t have spent a dime.”
Then, in 2018, came a moment that would change everything. One evening, his ex-wife returned the children, unexpectedly and without agreement. Accompanied by her father, she dropped them off, leaving Augustine to become a full-time single parent overnight.
“The girl was nine, the boy six. They didn’t say much. They just stood there, confused. I had to become everything for them, father, mother, friend, protector,” Augustine said.
What followed were years of sacrifice and solitude. Without nearby relatives or a strong support system, he had to rely entirely on himself.
He would leave work and rush home to cook, help with homework, do laundry, and nurse fevers. “I lost a lot,” he admits. “Friends, freedom, even parts of myself.” And yet, he never gave up.
Raising children is never easy, but doing it alone, while still carrying the weight of betrayal and financial hardship which left scars. Augustine recounts the long nights, praying his children would grow up healthy and happy despite the absence of their mother.
His daughter, now 15 and in SHS, has grown quieter. “There are days I just sit and cry,” he says. “When my daughter asks, I say ‘nothing.’ then she says, I see tears flowing, I will still say it’s nothing.
Augustine said there were moments he had considered giving up. “I had thoughts,” he confesses. “When life felt too heavy. When no one checked on me. “I understood why some people commit suicide,” he said.
But then I remembered I have two lives depending on me, if I am gone, who will take care of them?” That question has kept him going, one day at a time.
Today, Augustine’s children are thriving. His daughter is doing well in school, and his son has grown into a thoughtful, cheerful boy. But their success has come at a cost, paid for with sleepless nights, missed opportunities, and invisible emotional wounds.
“I don’t want pity,” he says. “I just want people to understand what fathers feel too. We cry, we break, but we don’t always show it,” he added.
This Father’s Day, Augustine’s journey reminds the world of the quiet fathers, who are often unseen and seldom celebrated.
They are the ones redefining fatherhood in Ghana and beyond, embodying responsibility, patience, and love in the most demanding circumstances.
For Augustine, he would not wish this life for his worst enemy,” but for him, there is purpose, “I will keep going because they need me, and that’s enough.”
Currently in Ghana, Father’s Day is gradually evolving with traditions often marked by cards, media tributes, and public applause, which reflects a growing appreciation of paternal sacrifice.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
