Dad

There are many things I could tell you about my Dad.
Born to Frederic Charles Gray and Ethel Alice Gray in November a few years ago...Merton Frederic Gray!
Married Ruth Brownset a few years later.

Together they produced 6 children.

I am number 5 in that sproglet lineup! The only girl...born to much celebration on Dad's side of the family the first girl in several generations.

Mum would have preferred another boy...hope I wasnt too much of a disappointment over all!

Anyway back to the real point of this blog my Dad.

My early memories are of a Dad who loved to play rough and tumble, Loved to be there at bed time and lay on the bed creating tales of a magic carpet! Oh the adventures we had letting our imagination go around the world on that magic carpet...if only we had written them down we could probably have rivalled Rhoald Dhal or Thomas the Tank engine!

I remember Dad introducing me to prayer...well maybeI dont remember the introduction but I remember the night time prayers

God Bless Mummy and Daddy, Granville Adrian David Ian And Martin Grandma and Grandad all friends and relations and God Bless Tina Amen.
Then we would sing together a little prayer song too that I can remember the end of it...I am sure with a little bit of thought I could come up with most of it....suffer her symplicity suffer her to come to thee Amen....I am so glad that Mum and Dad brought me up to know God....to come to faith in The Lord Jesus...I am so pleased to have grown up in a family that loved God that attended a bible believing Church and that took me to Camp!
Mum and Dad were workers at the South Wales Bible Camp...we often spent Boys Week at Camp. However one year I remember staying at home with Mum whilst Dad took the boys to Camp. I had to be younger than 7 as Martin wasnt born then...I missed Dad so much! I was always a daddys girl and no mistake. I can remember going shopping for a dress to go visit them on the visitors day. It was a beautiful yellow dress...I knew Daddy would love it!
( I now know I went to Sunday School camp to visit my brothers wearing a rathe expensive bridesmades dress! It must have cost a months grocery money and I have no idea how Mum afforded it!) I never was a girl for frilly dresses but I knew my Daddy liked me to dress in pretty clothes and this was His day.....he had been away for so long....it was 4 whole days and I was going to see him!

Mum and I travelled by train to Cardif and then I think someone picked us up in a car to take us to see Daddy!

As I grew up I remained a Daddys girl....I think I am still! Dad was there when I was struggling to find a way to understand Maths....once I got it I knew it but it was often Dad that broke it down for me to understand....Science always interested me and I was delighted to find the inards my DAd had taken from a chicken we had for Sunday lunch.... It was a stomach and bowel all in tact...Dad had managed to keep it all in tact and was hoping to use it for his work...I took it to school to show all my mates....I never could understand what they found so horrid about it it was fascinating! My teacher confiscated it and gave it back to Mum that night....I was not too popular at home! Thankfully I hadnt broken it and Dad was able to use it I think!
(do you remember that Dad??)

I was a rather ungrateful daughter at times...not very tidy, not always very helpful...I remember being VERY moody at times.....Mum and I had times when we really did not see eye to eye at all....Dad would always take me to one side, remain very calm and quiet...he had a way of managing stress filled moments by being very quiet! In fact if you couldnt quite catch what Dad was saying you could guess he was not happy with you! But I dont remember Dad losing his temper with me...he was far more often so obviously disappointed!

Dad was and is a huge influence in my life! It was his work with what was then termed Mentally Subnormal children that planted the seeds for my future. It was spending time reading through the nursing exam papers that fed my desire to look into a career in medicine....OK I never quite got that far! I was far too lazy to put my heart and sould into the altter stages of education.....yet it is still Dad and of course Mum too once we got over our clashes of teenagerhood....who supported my changes of mind and my giving up at education....I left school because the lure of marriage was far greater by then than the lure of another 7 years in education! Having 8 0'levels and studying for four A levels I threw it all out because I wanted to get married! I have never regretted that decision and have never felt that Mum or Dad felt let down by my decisions.

So when David and I decided to get engaged Mum contrived for Dad to collect us from somewhere to go home....there is a little road in Swindon where we then lived called Merton Avenue and Mum told Dad to turn into it and Stop the car....David then asked him for my hand in marriage! All very proper! I could see Dad's eyes in the rear view mirror...the tel tale crinkle at the corners told me he was filled with mischief! "Can I trust you to look after her?"

David was trembling beside me as he promised he would.....Dad turned round with a huge grin on his face and we headed off for fish and chips!

As we neared our wedding day. Dad often broke tension that rose between me and Mum over all sorts of things....Dad was rebuilding our house in the months that led up to our wedding, I had moved temporarily into David's Mum's as the building dust did nothing for my awful chest! David spent a lot of time at our house helping out where he could, And then we bought our house and spent the time doing that up too.
Dad helped us out with ideas and practicle help. Mum encouraged me to cook our meals at our house and then return home.
The week of our wedding Dad was quiet. The morning of our wedding I was never so proud as sitting with my Dad in the wedding car, and walking down the Aisle on his Arm....handed from one wonderful man to another!
It was very much a case of gaining a son not losing a daughter, Mum and Dad have continued to support us every step of our life!
There as we learnt David was redundant on returning from our honey moon. There for us when our adoption application fell apart, there for us when we lost our first baby. Dad came in to see me on the ward the day after I lost that baby.....he was well known to the staff. IN fact they were in awe of me that Mr Gray had come to visit! When they learnt he was my Dad they were dumbstruck....he had been their Tutor in Nursing school! lol

When we decided to move away from Cornwall away from Mum and Dad and my brothers who were down in Cornwall it was Dad and Mum who supported us, helped us pack and waved us off.

When we adopted Luke Mum and Dad's was the first card. When Luke died they drove from Cornwall to Lancashire to be with us.

When Jonathan was diagnosed with his heart problems they drove up again to come to the surgeon appointement and support us through the decision making.

When we decided to give up our jobs to become full time carers to Jonathan and Rosie Dad was there with advice both were there with total commitment to us.

Whenever I have had questions to ask about the medical needs of the children Dad has been a listening ear.

Even now when we are too far away to visit physically behind us holding us up are the prayers!

Dad builds a protective wall of prayer around us...aided by Mum of course....(but it's Fathers Day tomorrow...sorry Mum:-))

It has been over a year since we last saw Mum and Dad, I dont know if God will grant us another time together here.....But having been brought up with the certain knowledge that this life is not all there is I am so glad to know that we will stand together in God's presence Singing His praise as we often have done over the years!

Thanks Dad for all you have been all you are and all you always will be!

Mind you one thing you never managed to teach me was to get a card in the post for an important date!!!!!
Sorry!
Much love and many hugs...get Mum to give them to you for me!
Twinkle Toes!