The day my dad first cried in front of me….
It still amazes me how one memory can remain with you for the rest of your life. The day my dad cried like a baby, after the death of my mum, will remain in my heart forever.
Mum had been ravaged with cancer for years. Rather than crumble, my dad bravely embraced the role of her constant carer. Without him, she would have died years earlier. As she rapidly deteriorated and became confined to a wheelchair, unable to cope on her own, he gave her a renewed hope and a will to live.
He was her saving grace, her angel from heaven. Day after day he loved her; when she got too heavy to be lifted – he carried her, when she could no longer turn in her bed – he turned her, when she was no longer aware who he was – he reminded her.
The day when she shut her eyes for the last time, part of my dad died with her. I will never forget the poignant vision of him as he just collapsed in sobs, his once whole heart, now shattered into a million pieces. He cried uncontrollably for what seemed like an eternity, broken, inconsolable, destroyed. The sharp, raw ache has now dulled a little but we will never stop missing her.
My Dad taught me the meaning and depth of true, eternal love that can transcend even the cruellest of life’s traumas. Marriage can last a life time. He cherished every moment with mum. Never raised his voice to her and always held her like his high school sweetheart.
In a world of tortured lives, fractured families, fallen heroes, corrupt leaders and moral decay…I have found a man who is pure in heart…. …I call him Dad and the bond between us is unbreakable.
emer