A quote, a quote! my kingdom for a quote – from Dad

When I was a kid,

my dad would always quote quotes!

At the time my friends and I would say Good old P, wind him up, he’s on a roll again”,

as you do when you are young.

He was there when I had my first art show,

with my amazing mum,

he was there when I spent heaps of dosh on a dream and laid out all my cash at a trade fair,

I remember his quote was…

“if it was easy everyone would be doing it!”

TOMFO-Families-are-like-fudgemostly-sweet-with-a-few-nuts

He was there with mum, when my sister and I left home,

we all danced around the garden and he picked us two daisies,

(now I am a parent I realise how hard that must have been,)

their two oldest girls finally leaving the family home, we pressed those flowers in a frame for years.

He was there when I travelled overseas more than once and came back to live in Manly,

we had some awesome lunches in that town,

“seven miles from Sydney and a thousand miles from care”.

He shaped and inspired my life,

here is a poem that I wrote for him and mum too,

after my trip to San Fransisco, Ireland, Turkey, Prague and the Cook Islands.

NB: When I was searching the archives for this poem, I couldn’t find it under “Dad”,

it was filed under “Mum’s Poem”,

just goes to show you,

behind every great man is an awesome woman.

I flew off to catch a dream.

To find me in a far away place,

To become more inspired,

To see the world,

To reach for a shooting star.

I missed you while I was looking for myself!

While I was sipping Guiness in Listowel,

It was you that was on my mind.

You were the old man with no teeth who talked to me,

You were the wind whispering in my ears

as I looked over green hills in Kerry.

You were the man dancing with no fear at Johnny Foxes Pub,

You were the warmth as I shared a meal in Wicklow with old friends,

You were the stars flickering in the black sky as I sat atop the Hilton in San Francisco with new found friends,

You were in the homeless mans eyes that I gave my meal to,

You were my inner calm when my luggage was lost,

You were my quiet when I was looking out and thinking,

You were the guides passion as he told us of a great battle,

You were the poppies that rippled in the wind, on fields at Gallipoli,

You were my support as I kissed the Blarney Stone,

You were the music that echoed over cobblestones in Prague,

You were the laughter as I realised I was on the wrong boat headed for a school trek instaed of Alcatraz,

You were the young man who told me I was an Australian goddess and gave me a big head,

You were the inspiration as I sketched in my journal,

You were the pride as a man told me of his culture and heritage,

You were the spontaniety as I talked to people I never would have talked to before.

I just realised,

I didn’t miss you at all,

You were with me all the way Dad.

I flew off to catch a dream.

To find me in a far away place

To become more inspired,

To see the world,

To reach for a shooting star.

I missed you while I was looking for myself!

While I was being young… telling everyone I was 25

and feeling more beautiful than ever,

While I was filled with awe of myself for travelling on my own

It was you that was on my mind.

You were the woman I shared my fish story with on the Cook Islands,

You were the brilliant light that came from the spires of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul,

You were the innocence in the little 3 year old boy as he took my hand to get on a big bus on his own,

You were the romance that oozed from the Charles Bridge in Prague,

You were the girls who sat next to me and drank wine at a swanky bar after shoe shopping and gave me high fives for travelling on my own,

You were the smiles that plagued my face as I climbed the hills of San Francisco,

You were the strength when I reeled in a fish as big as me,

You were the emotion as I thought of all those mothers who sent their sons to a far away land to fight someone else’s battle.

You were the excitement of the voice on the other end of the line when I called home,

You were the mother of all the people I met who didn’t have one.

You were the giggle as I laughed at missing the bus in Hollywood Boulevard because I was daydreaming about the life of movie stars,

You were the woman who constantly reminds me of the wonderful grandparents I have, especially in Gallipoli,

You were the pride as I said I am an artist and people wanted to know more about me,

You were the peace as I read books in a laundromat waiting for my undies to dry.

You were the voice in my head that said… you can travel on your own,

You were the tapping in my feet as I listened to Irish trad with caring neighbours.

I just realised,

You are the circle in our lives,

You make us whole,

And yes, I didn’t miss you at all,

You were with me all the way Mum.

My dad and my fabulous mum are wonderful grandparents to our wonderful son and my brothers and sisters families too. Dad still has a little black book that he scribbles notes and quotes in. I love you dad and mum! You are my inspiration and determination, now… you are the priceless voices that tell me how wonderful our beautiful son and our life is.

My quote to you both…

TOMFO-I-am-beautyfull-today

Because of you two…

and all the people you gathered around us in our lives.

Happy Easter to all and if you are lucky enough to have your wonderful parents, family and friends with you, enjoy… if not remember the way those people shaped your lives and made you beautiful today.

Remembering you T, K, B, C and J,

Live with love