Look, there are only a few good men walking this earth and my Daddy was one of them.
A Few Good Men was one of his favourite movies. And what a great man He was. One day he was organising his extensive DVD collection (sitting on the floor, music on with the volume way up, a glass of wine nearby) and he couldn’t find A Few Good Men so I said: look, I know you don’t like this but let me gift you a copy. I ordered one through Amazon Prime and it came the next day. Later in the week, we found the older DVD so he now had two copies.
People tend to deify loved ones who have passed but My Beloved Father really was one of the finest men to have ever lived. He is the reason so many have actual careers (not jobs), roofs, and material things. He took care of people. He had 3 children but was a Father to so many. He was also known as ‘the’ grandfather, although he only had one grandchild himself.
He would speak with anyone, and treat everyone with dignity and respect, it didn’t matter if you were part of his household staff or a dignitary, both got the very best of him. My Father cared deeply for people and fed villages. Animals were drawn to him, children adored him. Could you imagine sitting somewhere, anywhere, reading a book or just listening to your music and having a group of children flock to you, some sitting on your lap, others asking questions and just talking to you? This was a daily occurrence for my Father. He was a light, his face radiated pure kindness. People wanted to be near him, so many were obsessed with being in his presence. He listened to each word carefully and came up with real solutions. When others would offer ‘thoughts and prayers’, he would put his money where his mouth was. He shared his resources with everyone, providing tangible support until his very last breath.
My Father was unassuming, he was humility and grace personified. He was integrity, empathy, class, beauty, generosity, purity, selflessness, and unconditional love. Yep, my Angel, who is now in Heaven was a Good Man.