31 May 1949 - 27 March 2023
As I survey this new land of shifting sand I ask: where is my guiding monolith? My El Capitan; my Eiger; my Everest and Elbrus; my reassuring rock of ages; my steadfast and stubborn stone. Where is my Dad? Where is our Papa, our Nick?
Time takes all things, but the moments we share will always have been. We carry these memories with us and there my Dad lives on. So I won't say goodbye but I will say, thank you, Dad.
Thank you, for your fire and fight within; your loyalty and laughter; your steely stubborn strength; and your reassuring council.
I will miss your conversation with all and any, at the ole Cossies Cafe on Crown. I will even miss your jokes and your formal jeans and sandles.
So for all thankyous said and unsaid, and for all you'd generously do, Dad, Doctor, Nick and Papa, we remember you.
Silence
In the silence I ask myself, where have all the old men gone? Dad, Nev, Bruce and Tom, where have all the old guard gone?
Are they at the game somewhere? I know Dad is there for I can hear him, telling tales and singing songs. Those old men all cheer together, as the Wallabies reschool New Zealand. My Dad is even called upon to convert the final try. With strong young legs and med-ieval lock of hair, my Dad wins that match. And he wins again and again through his trusty old TV remote. So you see my father is not buried here, for there he lives with beer and chair for us all.
Sounds
The sound of passing cars, like ocean waves on shore, the pitter patter of puppy paws up the hall, while my dog snores. Children play and magpie sings, as an old steam train whistles on its way. This is some of what I hear. But mostly I hear a silence my father used to fill, as I listen for sounds that are missing and the echoes of a laughter that once was, once. Now you join my dream, out there in the ever.
Deserving
All people yearn to be loved, and you are loved. Know you are loved and of love you are deserving. Let us live this day, and let us see tomorrow.