When my dad died 12 years ago his personal possessions were few and only filled a tiny suitcase. There were photos, documents, address books etc but he wasn't one to save cards.
However, I found that he had already bought me a Christmas card ( he died in the summer on my husband's birthday) and so I would have received it later that year.
He had also saved one - rather sad looking - little pressed flower card that I had made him in the mid seventies.
He never showed sentimentality - but was from an age when men just didn't do that, but there was a softer side to him. Dad had a watercolour of mine on his chimney breast which my brother ( who completely stopped all contact with dad once dad became infirm) always said was 'rubbish'. This didn't matter to me though as I knew dad liked it.
It's the little things which count...
2 comments:
As the songs says Little things mean alot.I remember when Vera took her young grand daughter aged about 3 to see your Dad & stepmum. M went into the garden and came in carrying a bunch of the tops of flowers(no stems)Vera was horrified as your Dad loved his garden.He smiled and said it was ok he didnt mind.I dont know what he thought afterwards but he put Vera at ease and M got a good telling off on the way home from Vera.As the somg says Little things mean a lot I know your Dads reaction meant alot to Vera.
xx
That is a lovely thing to tell me which I obviously didn't know. Dad loved his garden - but he grew loads of vegetables which he gave to people and if people wanted them they could have flowers too. He had no money to give away, but if he visited anyone he would always take something from the garden with him.
He always used to say to me that I was to give him flowers whilst he was alive, as they would be no use to him at his funeral (I made him a bunch from the garden and put them in a basket for that occasion.)
It was small, but homely and when I asked the undertakers to put it on top of his coffin in the hearse S said it was too small and she had told them to put their family arrangement on there! I had just come out of hospital and was ill and dizzy and had no energy to put up a fight.
That whole generation of working class people had a strength and acceptance of what life threw at them - dealing with it without bitterness.
I know that you agree that we must never forget all their sacrifices and courage XXX
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