The greatest man in my life . . .

 

 

I had to laugh when I found this quote this morning because it is totally true. My father and I are twins. But I have to say it is not true for everyone because my firstborn daughter is my twin and my father's twin.  We look like three peas in a pod. I call us Old, Older and Ancient! 

 

Today is my father's birthday and he is turning 87 as you all know.  Last year I could never have imagined that I would be able to spend his birthday with him this year, but here we are and I am.  This is the silver lining in what has been a difficult year for everyone.  At least it is for me, that I would get to be with my father on his Birthday is such a great blessing.  I had thought I would never see my father alive again, but life has a way of surprising you when you least expect it! 

I love my father very much.  I don't think I always appreciated him when I was younger. He was quite strict and as a teenager I really resented some of his rules and restrictions, thinking them to be quite unreasonable, especially when I saw friends of mine having a lot more freedoms and a lot less rules than I had at the time.

As an adult I came to appreciate him more and more and I realised that those rules and restrictions were not given because he wanted to make my life  miserable, but because he loved me and wanted to protect me and keep me safe.  Thank you Dad!!   

I have recognised in myself a person who is incapable of making sound decisions much of the time, most impetuous and not very patient in waiting, often impulsive.  I am pretty sure now that had my father not been so strict I might have made HUGE mistakes.  My sister has always been my voice of reason and still is.  I find that if I run things by her first, she really helps me to put things in a proper perspective. I am so very grateful for both of them, but especially for a father who loved me enough to be able to say "no" to me. Thank you Dad for trying to keep me safe.

My father always worked really hard outside the home to provide us with a warm and safe environment.  My mother worked really hard inside the home to keep it so.  Between the two of them they took very good care of us and I am so very grateful for that.

My father taught me to love the written word. He read stories to me every night for a long time when I was young.  At least until my brother and sister came along. I am grateful for those stories and for that lesson in loving the written word. If you love words and books, etc. you are never alone because in a book can always be found a friend. Dad still reads voraciously, probably going through a book every two or three days, and he will read just about anything.

 

I was very fortunate to have had him to myself for three whole years before my sister and brother were born. I got to do things with him that they never did and I have special memories of times shared with my father that they never got to experience. For instance I always went to church with him on Christmas Eve and I have very fond memories of those times. Those three years were an incredible gift to me. 

 

There really isn't anything new I can say about my father that I haven't said before. I have been regalling you with my tales about him for years now. I think it is fairly obvious that I love my father very much and I am so grateful that he is still in our lives.  He is just about the easiest going, most congenial person you could ever want to know. He doesn't let a lot faze him. Most things just roll off his back. He doesn't take a lot of things personally, if any.  I am not quite that resilient, but I am getting there.   

My sister calls him every morning to make sure he is okay. She just did and he was just on his way out the door to have his Birthday breakfast with some of his lady friends at a local cafe. Yes, at 87 he is still charming the ladies. Its that French je ne sais quois quality in him, or the accent, or both.

 

He will be coming over later today. My sister is making his favourite Shake and Bake Chicken Wings for him for his supper and I know he will really enjoy them. I will bake his cake.  We will celebrate our love for him in a way that only family can.  I am so very grateful that we still have him and that I am able to spend these last months/years with him.  Its a real gift for me.  Happy Birthday Dad! I love you! We love you! We are so very thankful for you. You are, and have always been, the Greatest man in my life.

 

A thought to carry with you  . . .

 

 .° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *.˛.° ˛°. . My father gave me

the greatest gift you can

give to another person.

He believed in me•。★★ 。* 。.

 

In The English Kitchen today, Sheet Pan Roast Chicken Dinner.  Simple to make, no fuss, no muss, all in one roast chicken dinner that is deliciously built for two.

Have a great Sunday!  Don't forget!

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And I do too!