I didn't write a blog post for my Dad's birthday on the 10th of January this year. I didn't forget, I just didn't feel like dwelling on him not being with us to celebrate his 80th, so instead I visited my son and his family, spending the morning laughing, chatting and playing with my Grandson. That afternoon, my husband and I took Polly and Betty out for a good run on 'Big Field', squelching through puddles deep enough to swim in as we battled driving rain. Needless to say my mucky pup Goldie girls had an absolute blast playing in the mud!
So Dad's birthday was a normal Sunday for me, packed with family and outdoors, as most of my Sundays are. Later in the day though, I felt the urge to catch up with the rest of my family on Facebook. Dad always enjoyed Facebook. He would often mention how much he loved being able to keep in touch with his 'girls' and grandchildren via the computer ... and he was a mean online Scrabble opponent too! My first job of any day was always to turn on my computer, log into Facebook and catch up with Dad's antics on our virtual Scrabble board. He delighted in beating me!
How I miss those morning Scrabble games with you Dad.
A rare gem of a family photograph!
Our Dad (blue shirt) celebrating with his sisters and their husbands
Anyway, as I was saying, I turned on the computer, logged into 'Facebook' and found myself strolling down Memory Lane, back through old family photos, photos of my Dad. As I browsed the few pics I have of him, smiling to myself, I wrote a little birthday message and before I knew it, several of my nieces, my sisters, our Auntie (Dad's sister) and some of Dad's nieces had joined me online from their homes across the South of England and we began to reminisce fondly about Dad, on what should have/would have been, his eightieth birthday.
Sadly I have very few photographs of Dad because I grew up in the days when a camera was a fairly rarely used item in most families, saved mostly for high days and holidays and of course as a youngster, I didn't own any of our family photographs ... so when my younger sister Lynda (blushing bride in the pic below) sent me a virtual 'handful' of the equivalent of dusty old photographs from our younger days, on Sunday night, I was bowled over. We don't live close to one another these days, so I had no idea those pics had ever been taken! I think we girls all assumed our Dad would live forever, so it never crossed our minds that photographs of him could and would become so very important to us. Sharing precious 'Dad' photographs and memories on his birthday, brought Dad close to us all again.
We five sisters, with our Dad
I don't say this very often,
but thank you Facebook.
And special thanks to you Lyn.
And a very Happy 80th Birthday to you Dad,
With love from us all.
Your Family.
xxx