Can I just tell you how amazing my dad is?
He has had the *worst* two years. Seriously. His wife of over 40 years died. He had a knee replacement. COVID. He had a hip replacement and nearly died. They built a McDonald’s next to his home of 33 years. And now he has another bout of fairly serious health stuff to deal with.
And yet, he remains one of the most delightful, entertaining and downright hilarious people I have ever met. I just spoke to him and he told me probably the funniest story of the year – I was laughing till I cried – from a hospital bed having just undergone a day of tests. How’s that for resilience and bravery and finding slices of joy?
He is kind and thoughtful and loving, and fiercely loyal. He built our family with my mom with such intention, and care, and taught us to love Christmas and birthdays and family dinners, and each other.
When my mom was around, she was always the one who called and messaged – the first line of contact. One of the unexpected gifts of these years without her has been a blossoming of each of our direct relationships with my dad. The other has been that he learnt how to bake soda bread, and now gifts it to people… How wonderful is that?
I know that many people don’t luck out the way I have with my dad – their dads either aren’t here any more, or they aren’t as close. I feel like I totally hit the jackpot with this one… and not just because he kind of looks like a leprechaun
An ode to my dad
Published inMom
Be First to Comment