Happy Fathers’ Day to all dads, near and far

Wally and Eric Foreman, 2005.

Fathers’ Day is something pretty special for me.

But it wasn’t always that way; there was a period of about eight years where the day fell somewhere between an insignificant date and a date that reminded me of losing my father.

Then, Charlotte came along.

And, then, The Legend from Bruce Rock: The Wally Foreman Story came along.

Finally, Jonathon came along.

And the three of them reminded me of how special the day is as a day of reflection for dads, past and present. With us or not.

This is not a 1000-word musing on Fathers’ Day. The day is too jam-packed for most people to be occupied with writing and reading that.

Instead, it’s a short note to say Happy Fathers’ Day to all those people out there – fathers, as well as children and mothers – who are enjoying a day with family in mind.

The ones who reflect, as my Grandad Eric did in the closing lines of The Legend from Bruce Rock, on their lives and the role that fatherhood has played.

And I will end this note with those words:

“What keeps you going?” I asked of the man who had lost his wife and his son, yet carried on to see 99-years-old.

“Oh, memories. Without a shadow of a doubt,” he said. “I can always go back on some of the naughty things that Wally did and also some of the things that have made me so damn proud to say to my mates, ‘He was my boy’.”

Happy Fathers Day.

– GF

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