Friday, March 7, 2014

My dad, the PAF, and a quick shadow frame to honor his life.

Papa Korangi

My dad was a proud aeronautical engineer in the Pakistan Air force and we grew up in those bases in all corners of the country. It was an amazing childhood full of all things that make it memorable and because of that, among many other things, the PAF holds a very special place in my heart.

The memory of my dad immaculately dressed in his uniform and looking so handsome is the first one that comes to mind most of the time when I think of him. And those shiny medals that were a part of it, continued to grow as we grew up. Of course it was not always happy, and I also remember his stressful times. I remember always knowing that being in the military, my dad would have to choose his country over us. But that itself was a huge source of pride for us.

All those years of being a part of the Air force family, the postings, the changing of schools, the excitement at each promotion my dad got, the houses that were home to us for a few years and which we had to say goodbye to ultimately, the friends we met and parted with at different bases, became such a huge part of us that we were more upset than Papa was when he retired suddenly.

And so out of all the things that belonged to my dad, and that we found hard to part with, some of the things we couldn't let go of, were his medals and uniforms. We all kept a few of these and I knew I wanted to display these somewhere to remind me of my father and the life he chose for himself and us.

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Used adhesive velcro  (similar to this) to stick the items inside the shadow frame found at Marshalls.

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Have you ever displayed treasured items using a shadow frame?

Thanks for reading and lots of love.

6 comments:

  1. thanks for sharing. I love reading about you and your family so much so that I often feel being a part of your family, living somewhere near you guys.
    Isnt that glue damaging pic or name badge? and yeah your sis waliya resemble so much like your dad, rest you both are a good mix of both your parents. Mashallah... and yeah that pic collage reminds me of your grand parents pic... please do share their story aswell. waiting for that since long. Much love to you and your family.
    or haan I love anya's chubby feet on top of blog.. so wanted to kiss them.. she's so much like Mahveen. Hope we could meet someday.

    Mominah

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    1. Always love hearing from you Mominah :) Its actually not glue, i mentioned above that its removable velcro so hopefully it wont damage it, and its at the back even if that happens so i guess i'll take the risk so atleast i'm able to see it infront of me! Will definitely share that story sometime, but i guess there's still some time till that can happen;s Hehe, Maybe we'lll meet one day with our little girls! Lots of love.

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  2. First off, warm thoughts for you and prayers for your Dad.
    Great use of the shadow box of course! And I personally love adding a mix of such detail to generally flat frame walls- gives them an extra visual layer I think. (Y)
    I have to mention what a privilege it is to spend a childhood like yours where you are exposed to different lifestyles and behaviours and I think only people who have grown with it can appreciate the spark it can bring to one's personality. I have had my education from six different schools (all of different countries) until 10th grade and have loved every bit of the adventure and what it has made me- although adjustments are never easy. It makes me sad when people complain about relocation during jobs, they have no idea what they are missing out on.
    Have a nice weekend!

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    1. You are so right, we didn't value it then i guess, but totally do now. Even more now that i have a kid of my own. Your childhood sounds awesome itself. Thanks for the sweet comment. Lots of love.

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  3. Natalia indeed your father was a great commander. I remember he guiding us while we were new in service. Time we spent together at Samungli was the most memorable. Sir Najeeb and bhabi together provided us an environment of love, friendship and comradeship. May Allah bless his soul. Ameen
    Tiger Uncle

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    1. Uncle cant tell you how pleasantly surprised i was to see your comment. Thanks for sharing those memories of Papa. Ameen to your duas. You were always fondly remembered and thought of in our family always. Thank you for our first ever childhood cat in the form of goldie ;) lots of love and duas.

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Let me know what you think. I would love to hear from you!