With Father's Day just around the corner I thought
it would be interesting to get away from politics
for a bit and tell stories about what you learned
from your dad. What kind of a man he was,
and what is the most important thing he taught you?

I'll go first.

My father was a quiet gentle soul who I never heard
say a bad thing about anyone. He lost a great deal
during WWII. Family members, his country. Yet he took
whatever life dealt him and never complained. He
instilled in us the importance of being self-reliant.
Working hard, and that family was everything.

He was a
decent man - who loved us very much. He loved watching
American westerns on TV. And he loved the game of snooker
which he was good at.

I remember once when dad came
home from work very late and mum was furious because
she'd kept dinner for him. His excuse was he'd fallen
asleep in the local pub's toilet on his way home.
We all knew he'd been playing snooker.
He loved to win.

Dad died of a massive coronary at the age of 52.
Far too young. And I miss him very, very, much.

cont'd ...

I came across this "Daddy's poem" by an anonymous
author on the web that I think is worth sharing:

Her hair was up in a pony tail. Her favourite dress
tied with a bow. Today was Daddy's Day at school,
And she couldn't wait to go. But her mummy tried to
tell her that she probably should stay home. Why the
kids might not understand if she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid; she knew just what to say,
What to tell her classmates of why he wasn't there today.
But still her mother worried, for her to face this day alone
And that was why once again, she tried to keep her daughter
home.

But the little girl went to school eager to tell them all,
About a dad she never sees. A dad who never calls.
There were daddies along the wall in back, for everyone
to meet. Children squirming impatiently anxious in their
seats. One by one the teacher called a student from the
class. To introduce their daddy, as seconds slowly passed.

At last the teacher called her name, every child turned to
stare. Each of them was searching for a man who wasn't
there. "Where's her daddy at?" she heard a boy call out.
"She probably doesn't have one," another student dared to
shout. And from somewhere near the back she heard a
daddy say, "Looks like another deadbeat dad, too busy to
waste his day".

The words did not offend her, as she smiled up at her mum,
and looked back at her teacher who told her to go on.
And with her hands behind her back, slowly she began to
speak, and out from the mouth of a child, came words
incredibly unique.

"My daddy couldn't be here, because he lives so far away,
but I know he wishes he could be, since this is such a
special day. And though you cannot meet him, I wanted you
to know, all about my daddy and how much he loves me so".

cont'd ...

cont'd ...

"He loved to tell me stories. He taught me to ride a bike.
He surprised me with red roses and taught me to fly a kite.
We used to share fudge sundaes and ice cream in a cone, and
thought you cannot see him I'm not standing here alone.
'Cause my daddy's always with me, even though we are apart,
I know because he told me, he'll forever be in my heart".

With that, her little hand reached up, and lay across her chest,
feeling her own heartbeat, beneath her favourite dress.
And from somewhere in the crowd of dads, her mother stood in
tears, proudly watching her daughter, who was wise beyond her
years.

For she stood up for the love of a man not in her life,
doing what was best for her, doing what was right.
And when she dropped her hand back down, staring straight into
the crowd, she finished with a voice so soft, but its message
was clear and loud.

"I love my daddy very much, he's my shining star. And if he
could he'd be here but heaven's just too far. You see he was
a fireman and died just this past year. He was fighting fires
so folks wouldn't live in fear. But sometimes when I close
my eyes it's like he never went away".

And then she closed her eyes and saw him there that day.
And to her mother's amazement, she witnessed with surprise,
a room full of daddies and children all starting to close
their eyes.

Who knows what they saw before them, who knows what they
felt inside, perhaps for merely a second they saw him at
her side. "I know you're with me daddy," to the silence she
called out, and what happened next made believers of those
once filled with doubt.

cont'd ...

cont'd ...

No one in that room could explain it, for each of their
eyes had been closed. But there on the desk beside her,
was a fragrant long-stemmed rose. And a child was blessed,
if only for a moment, by the love of her shining star, and
given the gift of believing that heaven is never too far.

Hi Foxy, good topic.

My 'Old Man', a term I use affectionately as we were very close. He had 2 daughters and 3 sons, I'm the second youngest. The Old Man was very old, old school. I remember when I started Mech Eng, Dad was a mechanical engineer himself, he asked me "How many blokes in the class?", I said; "About 20, and a couple of girls"..."What's girls doing in the class?". For a bit of a gee up I said. "Oh, the typing class was full so they put them in with us" .... He says, "Gee, hope they make room in the typing class for them soon."..."I'm sure they will Dad, don't want them in the wrong class, do we." That was about 1972.

Dear Paul,

Your dad sounds like my father-in-law. He could not
believe the fact that I had graduated from uni. But
when he found out that I had also completed a secretarial
diploma course earlier - he thought it great that I had a
"back-up plan" for a job.