Monday 16 June 2008

SS Blog Challenge #22

"In honour of Father's Day and since mine has been on my mind of late: tell me, what is the greatest lesson you ever learned from your father?"

Even though Father's Day over here in Australia isn't until September, I decided to do this challenge anyway.

My Dad taught me so many things it's really hard to pick just one.
He was forever telling me to:
  • "Have confidence and just walk into the room like you own it."
  • "If you believe in yourself, everyone else will too."
  • "You never know what you can do until you try."
  • "You never fail until you stop trying."

And my personal favourite:

  • "The impossible takes a little longer."

But as great as all those things were, the most important thing he taught me was to take care of those you love and make sure you tell them you love them before it's too late.

He was the person we could always turn to in times of need or pain but also in times of joy. Dad would help us fix the problems or be happy for us. He was a rather no nonsense man who wasn't prone to sharing his feelings easily.

In the week before his death, he was more concerned about how my Mum was going to cope than his own pain. He called my sister and I into his hospice room and asked us to take care of each other and Mum. It was only when he was close to death that he realised how much my sister and I needed to hear him tell us in words how much he loved us. He had always shown his love by doing things for us and I know now that that was just his way of expressing himself but it was heartwarming to hear the actual words. "I love you and I'm proud of you and the person you've become."

So don't leave it until the last minute. Tell those near and dear to you that you love them and do it often .. even when the kids are embarrassed by it, they secretly take it to heart and keep it there. What better gift to give your child?

2 comments:

Melita said...

Oh Donna, pass the kleenex... Your father sounds like a wonderful man :)

Kaye said...

Your post had me in tears. My dad passed away in March, and I miss him every day. It sounds like you had a wonderful father!