Father’s Day
Last Sunday was Father’s Day in the UK. This post is dedicated to all of those who have lost their fathers far too early in life. It is also dedicated to my wonderful Dad.
When special days like Father’s Day and Mother’s Day come along I am reminded just how lucky I am to still have both my parents in my life.
I have many friends and who have lost parents to either cancer or other forms of ill health. I know from your emails that many of you have as well. I often wonder what it must feel like for those who have lost a parent to see Facebook swamped with posts and pictures of people with their Dad on Father’s Day. I can imagine it must be really difficult but hopefully it also brings back fond memories of the time they shared with their Dad and also shows how grateful other people are to still have their dads in their lives.
This is a picture of me and my big bro with our wonderful Dad, Alan.
My dad is the most amazing and loving man I know. My big brother is my inspiration for travel and adventure and my Dad is where I inherited my ethic for hard work, how to treat others and that family is indeed the best thing in the world.
I also (unfortunately) inherited his sense of humour. When you meet him at our Hot Chocolate gathering on Richmond hill next year ask him to tell you joke about ‘the guy with the speech impediment who goes for the job on the radio’. So bad it’s hilarious!
Since I started writing my book I’ve given a lot of thought to how my illness’ affected my family.
When I was ill as child my mum gave up work so she was with me a lot of the time. I’ve often wondered what it was like for my dad having to go into work each day knowing his son was so ill. How did he cope and what did he think? I don’t think I’ve ever asked him these questions. I will never forget his face when he walked into the intensive care unit after my operation in 2010 and saw me lying there in pain with all the tubes coming out of me. He looked so upset and I know he was doing his best not to show how scared he was.
My dad has worked in a full time job since he was 15 years old and like many people of his generation a steady job is one of the most important things you can have in life. When I told him I was going to leave my job and go travelling he thought it was bad idea and didn’t approve.
When planning 101 things I wrote out type of business plan with all my aims and objectives on it and why I was doing it. The main reason I wanted to travel was to find my happiness again. I had tried all sorts of therapy but nothing could snap me out of the world of fear and anxiety I had created for myself. I wrote down everything I was feeling and the worries I had for the limited future I saw for myself.
My mum had told me how dad had been worrying about the fact I was about to give up my job so she suggested I send him my business plan. So one night I sent it to him and in the morning I woke up to find an email from my dad saying that he now understood and how proud he was of me. Mum told me he had cried when he read it. I’m not sure he really knew the extent of what I was going through before reading that. I wanted his blessing so much and I think it was when I got his email that I really started working hard to make this trip happen. He’s the smartest person I know so I knew if Dad believed in me then everything would be ok….and it was.
So Dad, this message is for you. You’ve always been there for me and I’m so grateful you still are. If I’m half as wonderful a dad as you are then my kids will be the luckiest children in the world.
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