Saturday Christmas Get-together

Oh how I love our pre-Christmas Saturday family get-together.
I'm sure I talked about this last year and said how I couldn't get up to see the family the year before last; but again I'll talk about it as it was a great afternoon and something happened that brought back such a wonderful memory. So excuse the long entry.

My uncle had been going through some old photos and found one which he thought I would like to see.......It was about 20 years old and so funny. It was of a rather handsome man in his late 30s pulling a rather ugly face. Yet still his handsome,kindness, graciousness, wonderfulness, shone through. That man was my dad.

I hadn't realised how much I missed him till I saw that photo and the tears started to flow. It's been a few days over eight years since he passed and even as I write this I feel the sadness of not having him here. What was so very odd was on the day of our classic family get-together we also watch the final of Strictly Come Dancing and there's Gethin (excuse if I've spelt it wrong), and another aunt saying that he has 'the look' of my dad! Now that really was the strangest thing as I fancy the pants off Gethin. I've always thought that my dad was a gorgeous man and my mum made a wonderful choice when she picked him. Now I don't fancy my dad in that sense so don't get me wrong but just saying how handsome he was.
I told a friend this morning about the photo and she told me how I talked about my mum but hardly ever about my dad. She's right. I don't know why because I adored him. Maybe the pain is too much to think about? Losing him days before Christmas is bad enough and I have had to put myself on autopilot for many years to help me cope with the stress of those days. I thought I was OK? I thought that pain had gone......It has not. I've told my uncle that I would let him have my addy for this blog and I know he is likely to read this and if he does I want to say THANKS.
I LOVE THAT PHOTO!!!!!! I do not have many pictures of my dad and I'm so happy (even through my tears) that I have this one which I'm honoured to have.

So my last words for this blog entry our in honour of my father.
The best dad in the world, the best grampy in the world, the best friend to those who knew him, the best employee to those who employed him and the most wonderful man that ever lived and died.