16 June 2013 ~ FATHER’S DAY; PHASE 1, PHASE 2, PHASE 3, PHASE 4

16 June 2013 ~ FATHER’S DAY; PHASE 1, PHASE 2, PHASE 3, PHASE 4

Dad & Me - Christmas 1993

 

 

I was born in Liverpool, England, at a very early age; about twelve months before my first birthday, as I recall.  This was the beginning of Phase 1 of my Father’s Day experiences; me, as a son, celebrating my own father.  I was blessed with many, many years of this; but still there weren’t enough of them.  I adored my dad; however we were never really close.  It wasn’t that we didn’t get along with each other.  My dad simply had his world and I was not as much a part of it as I would have liked.  Again, please don’t get me wrong here, I wasn’t ignored or abused; where I grew up it was just that way.  All the same, I enjoyed celebrating Father’s Day Phase 1, with my dad.

Phase 2 was way too short.  Cruelly short.  When my son started his Phase 1, I moved on to my Phase 2; now I was celebrating my dad’s Father’s Day whilst enjoying my son celebrating my Father’s Day.  Good times.  Phase 2 started on 28 October 1989 when my first child, Martin, was born and ended on 1 February 1994; not even five years.  Phase 2 ended when my dad passed away.  I was on an overnight flight back to England from Canada when he died.  I didn’t make it back in time.  My dad had moved on to Phase 4 before I got a chance to say goodbye.

My Phase 3 started as soon as Phase 2 ended.  Now I can only enjoy Father’s Day through my own three children’s celebration; and they are all adults in their own right now.

So once a year you get a celebratory day's chance to say “I love you, dad”.  But remember which phase you are in because, before you know it, one phase will end.  And when Phase 2 ends it is the most saddest ending of all for a man, or a woman for that matter.  I can only speak for a man because it is a pre-requisite (biologically speaking) for being a dad.  I am sure it is the same for the ladies and Mother’s Day.  But I am a man and this is my blog, so it is all about the Father for this writer, on this day of days.

So what is Phase 4 you may ask?  Those who know me, or who have read any of my writings, know that I am a man of faith.  Phase 4 is celebrated every day with our Father.  You know the one; our Father, who art in heaven.  And with Him are many, many fathers who I hope are still receiving messages and thoughts from the Phase 3 guys; the message is, of course, “I love you dad”.

To all of you fathers out there; Happy Father’s Day!