Our Dad. Dad, I’m having to write this a lot sooner than I expected and if I’m honest I’m not ready. It’s so hard to talk with a lump in your throat but I want to try and make less of a hash of this than I did reading that poem at your Golden Wedding Anniversary. You had so much life left to live, so many things left to do, And your new knee was meant to be the key to making all that happen, let’s be honest you’d waited long enough. But here we are and I promise after today I won’t dwell on what could have been, but will live my life to the fullest and be the best Dad I can to honour you. Dad, as far back as I can remember you’ve been there to mentor us, guide us and support us in everything we’ve done. You’ve made sacrifices to give us opportunities you never had, you’ve gone without meals so we could eat, supported us through our mistakes, played with us, pulled our legs and laughed with us, hugged us, and most of all you’ve loved us and shown us how to love others. When I look back and remember or look through our photographs, you’re always smiling or laughing or acting the fool. When friends and neighbours speak of you it’s always with affection and respect and humour, you have so many friends and have positively impacted on so many lives. When we’ve been out together, fishing or in the pub sharing a pint, we’ve put the world to rights many times or tried out doing each other with our stories, and to be fair you can talk rot with the best of them, often better than most of them, but always in good spirit or perhaps that was the Glenfiddich. Regardless, your compassion and empathy has always stood out, and everyone will agree that you’re a gentleman and the gentlest of men. Always ready to help out or lend a hand, in the thick of it or on the side lines. I know I can no longer call you for advice or to just run something past you and then do my own thing, but I know you’ll be there by my side guiding me and keeping me safe and true. We’ve been blessed with fantastic parents and I know you’re proud of us all, and Dad, we’re proud to call you Dad. Thank you for everything, without your love and support we wouldn’t have grown into the individuals we are today. Going forward I want to make you one final promise, I’m going to try to be less busy, I’m going to laugh more, I’m going to make more time for family and relax a little more. We’ll look after Mum so don’t worry about that. But for now Dad, stand down, enjoy the fishing and the whisky, sleep tight and until we meet again, just remember, we love you. Oh, and by the way Dad, I’m not sure it’s much of a blessing but I’m sure it’ll make you smile, it dawned on me the other day that you can now see us all naked. Rest easy, love you.