Move Over Dad

Dad, you’ve enjoyed your 5 minutes of fame and now in honour of Mother’s Day, it’s Mum’s turn.

You know the phrase ‘behind every great man, there has to be a great woman’ well I know you would be the first person to agree Dad, that Mum was always there for you; supporting you over the years when you travelled up to London to attend various committee meetings and branch meetings. Mum also mucked in with the practicalities of the London Bikeathon and spent many an hour standing on the pavement, outside supermarkets and shopping centres tin rattling for local flag days. I’m sure the hardest times were when you were away on the Botham walks for weeks at a time – you were missed!

So Mum, I take my hat off to you for demonstrating wifely support and patience over the thirty odd years Dad was involved with Bloodwise – well done you!

As we celebrate Mother’s Day and all things mumsy, I would like to take this opportunity to say thanks Mum; thanks for always being there for me – ALWAYS. You really were there for us every day after school. I’m sure that I’m a major disappointment to my children as they were ‘latch-key’ kids for awhile. Thanks for cooking lovely meals, and for allowing us to walk to the sweet shop on our own – ‘ten pence worth of sweets, no bubble gum or chewing gum please’.

Thanks for letting us go out on our bikes ALL DAY. You knew we would come home when we were hungry or it was dark, I’m sure you would have worried about us until we were home safely but you never said.

Thanks for teaching me how to knit, to cook and to garden, and although I was and am useless, having the patiences to teach me how to draw and paint.

Thanks for teaching me compassion and empathy and how to laugh my head off at the most stupid of things!

Thanks for being there for all those long laborious hours when your grandson came into the world only to sneak out and leave us to it when it was all over.

Thanks for being there when your granddaughter flew into the world – although you weren’t really!

And most of all Mum, thanks for giving us your blessing to move to the other side of the world with your only grandchildren. We broke your heart but never once did you ask us not to go or show us your pain – you gave me wings but I just flew too far!

Thanks Mum xx