Thank you dad

By Bad Dad on March 25, 2008 8:17 PM | Permalink

We drove through the Cotswolds today - my two boys, me and my old dad.

We were headed for a little village in Wiltshire where the old man spent the war years as an evacuee, running in the fields, playing football where he shouldn't have, scrumping apples from unsuspecting neighbours.

The boys were chatty on the way down but they fell silent the closer we got and as another chapter in the story of life was about to draw to a gentle close,

They knew this was more than just a day out - more a last goodbye to the grandad and dad who had made us all the men and the boys were are now.

As we pulled into the little village and headed for the cemetery where his mum and dad and my mum's ashes were scattered, I could almost see him aged seven marauding and causing mayhem.

Then it was time.

We walked into the churchyard where 27 years ago - at the age of 16 myself - I had gone with my dad to spread my lovely grandad's ashes and 15 years ago I'd been with him again to say goodbye to my dear old mum.

As the ashes dropped onto the leaves the sun shone through the snowy sky, a woodpecker warbled and the church clock struck two - then silence.

We stood there the three of us, me in the middle with my arms over their adolescent shoulders, and remembered all the good times - and there were many.

Alex shed a dignified tear or two, Nick the same, and I stood and smiled - I smiled because I knew that had he been looking down he'd have seen the two grandsons he was so proud of acting like the strong, upright men he always hoped they'd become.

As a parent you only want your children to do well. My dad saw that with me and was lucky enough to see that, despite all the trials and tribulations parenthood brings, I'm not doing a bad job with my three.

You did a good job dad and you live on in us all - God bless.