Dad.. Memories.

[Starlet83]

Just been commenting on another post which I did not want to hijack.

 

I am sure there are plenty out there who have lost their dad like me. I have just found out I am expecting and while I am super excited its all tinged with sadness wishing my dad was here. It has made me think alot recently about the things he did/said so i thought I would start a thread where others could share daft stories and memories.

 

My other half has not met my dad but a story I told him was as follows:

 

My dad drank in the same pub for 40 years, he had his spot at the far end of the bar, everyone knew him, he always drank Kronemburg from his own "pot". One afternoon the landlord knowing my dad would be coming in rang him and said "David Im sorry I've ran out of Kronemburg and cannot get any for a couple of days" He never drank anything else. So we assumed that would be him having a few nights in.

 

Dad got ready and caught the bus upto the pub as normal.

 

Around 10.30 the landlord came down, I had just arrived to pick my dad up. He looked rather shocked to see my dad in his usual spot and the conversation went something like:

Den "whats tha drinking Lightfoot?"

Dad "Kronemburg"

Dennis scratched his head and said

"But we ent got any"

Dad "I know but I needed to see John so i came up and brought my own.... I might do it more often its cheaper than thine"

 

Everyone in ear shot was in hysterics, he was the only one cheeky enough to try it and likely to get away with it. Den tried to be annoyed but failed.

 

Its memories like that that make me miss him.

[lubylou]

I lost my dad last July, and to be honest, if i started writing funny things down about him i would be here all night , he was a bit of a character at times, and yes, i miss him every day

[Ousetunes]

Cancer robbed me of my father and I recall feeling almost offended in the way that life continued outside the window of the room in which he had laid breathing his final moments in Weston Park.

 

The sun came up, traffic started to increase and ordinary people walked by going to their ordinary jobs in their ordinary lives. My own life felt as though it had ground to a halt with loads of question marks flashing before my eyes. But I was truly staggered by the way, outside of this room of misery and desperation, a place full of tears and disbelief, life continued.

 

When my first daughter came into the world, the tears of happiness mingled with tears of sadness and feelings of emptiness. The one person I wanted to speak to first and the one to whom I wished to display God's greatest gift to me, my child, was not there. His absence felt stronger and yet these were the happiest days in their most crazy way.

 

Then it all added up as only life and death can: Dad had to go but fortunately my daughter had to come into our lives. There followed a second daughter and although one wishes daily to communicate with his absent and much missed father, a little bit of him and his ways (particularly in my younger daughter) lives on within my children.

 

I guess I'm no longer looking for an answer to the question: why?

[Moonbird]

Cancer robbed me of my father and I recall feeling almost offended in the way that life continued outside the window of the room in which he had laid breathing his final moments in Weston Park.

 

The sun came up, traffic started to increase and ordinary people walked by going to their ordinary jobs in their ordinary lives. My own life felt as though it had ground to a halt with loads of question marks flashing before my eyes. But I was truly staggered by the way, outside of this room of misery and desperation, a place full of tears and disbelief, life continued.

 

Reading your post made me remember the day that my Dad passed away in Weston park, I felt almost the exact same emotions as you did.

The bright sunshine and hustle and bustle of the busy street at tea time, and everything in slow motion and feeling separate from this outside world of people going about their every day life.

 

I lived with my Dad for 21 years but I never really knew him, I will always miss the Dad that might have been.

[Darth Vader]

Cancer robbed me of my father ....

 

I guess I'm no longer looking for an answer to the question: why?

 

What a truly beautiful post. Thank you for sharing this.

[DragonofAna]

My dad passed away a few years ago. He waited until all his kids seemed to be settled down with husbands/wives and kids before deciding his time was up. He was devoted to my mum, and though she died quite a long time ago - he never looked at another woman. It was always my mum for him, and when she was gone - think he just waited until he felt he could go join her.

 

We used to live in an end house on cuthbert bank road. All those houses are gone now, but the memories are still there. One day mum told dad there was a mouse in the kitchen so dad chased it out into the back yard with a sweeping brush. Then mum said to him "Ah it's raining - you can't leave it out there in the rain." So then dad spent a hour or so hunting for this stupid mouse in order to bring it in out of the rain.

 

I think that's one of the things that I will always remember.

 

Hey ho!

[Harleyman]

I remember "the old man" as we later referred to him taking me to see the Owls play at Hillsboro. He was an avid supporter and that was in the days when the Owls actually managed to win games

 

He was a member of Southey Amateur Operatic society and they produced musical stage plays such as "The Desert Song", "Rose Marie" "Rio Rita" and "Lilac Domino"

Even though the players were all amateurs the plays were all well done I remember

The old man would generally play an Arab or a Canadian Mountie. He never had the voice for a singing part but he liked to sing anyway, mostly Frank Sinatra hits.

 

He lived to be 92 but was always young at heart and still took the bus out to the countryside for a walk almost up to the time he suddenly died. He was proud of his service as a soldier in the war and at the moment of his death was watching the memorial day parade in London on November 11th.

 

We never really bonded as we should have for various reasons but when I hear a song that he used to sing it brings back memories then I start to think

that I should have acted differently, said things I should have said, not said other things in moments of anger but once they're gone all we have is memories of them and nothing else.

[pattricia]

My father was dying of lung cancer which had robbed him of his voice. In hospital he wrote me a note which said " You look beautiful" That was the last time I saw him alive.

[BananaSplit]

This thread has almost brought tears to my eyes - my Dad's in his late 70s and fighting cancer, and I dread THE day coming, just because I'm almost 40, but I'm still his little girl and he's still my big brave Dad.

 

I've always been a Daddys girl - I adore my Mum, but theres just that little extra something with my Dad.

[spindrift]

Losing your dad is like walking down the road and being punched in the face for no reason. It hurts. Like Hell.

 

The good bits of your dad never die or go away. They're with you.