Father's Day, a Day of Mixed Emotions

Father's Day and I'm sitting at my laptop, working as there aren't enough hours in the working week at the moment. So today I'm trying to get ahead of the game as I've deadlines to meet and on the road four days out of five next week, so something has to give, but hey it's the life I lead.

So today I awoke to gifts from Holly and Scott who put their money together to buy me a fantastic pair on converses, my favourite footwear, along with a LARGE box of wine gums.

Unfortunately the wine gums didn't last long enough to make the picture. My excuse was I needed the sugar rush to get my act in gear and my backside on the chair in front of my laptop.

I've worn converses since I was a teenager, as The Ramones wore them and they were just the coolest things around, the shoes, not The Ramones and for years they simply disappeared. So you can imagine my delight when several years ago they were "in vogue" and have been ever since.

I'm not sure my kids, who are now 23, 18 and 16 were originally 'cool' with Dad wearing them, however as they've aged they understand my nostalgia and they know that if they're stuck for a birthday or Father's Day present, converse never go wrong.

Today's are a pair of grey converse that will look good on my holibags when I head off to the sun at the end of June and I will, as always, pack my tartan ones :-)

As they disappeared downstairs, disappointed that I wasn't sharing my wine gums, well they are mine, I got to thinking that as a young boy I never did, or even remember Father's Day.

You see I was only 8 years old when my Dad died a few days before Christmas at the age of 49 many, many years ago (let's just say over 40 years) and I don't think we did Father's Day in the UK back then? Mother's Day yes, but not Father's Day. I could of course be wrong, but it doesn't feel like it.

There will be many people, like me, will take a moment to remember their Dad's and perhaps even raise a glass for them. I know I will when Zoey takes me out for dinner tonight for Father's Day. Which is the way it should be, children out living their parents and remembering them in their hearts.

However today I'm also thinking of all the Dad's I've met who will find today painful as they won't have 'that card' sitting on the fireplace, just a space which acts as another reminder of what they've lost.

So today I will mainly be thinking of all of you and hope that you're heart isn't too heavy. Tomorrow will come, but today feels like it will last forever.