Chris Allan

Tony Richards was a Gentleman. He was also a gentle, man.

He was a man who believed in people and in putting family first.  He was the master of the well timed gin and tonic. He was very often, the only point of calm in the maelstrom that formed when the four headstrong, vivacious Richards girls got together, Mom and three daughters. He was a father that loved in a way that was both English and endlessly compassionate.

He passed away this week.
 I write this in a house filled with snotty tissues, sms’s, unreal moments, laughter, tears, baskets of flowers, a kettle that churns out coffee and tea on an hourly basis, and a phone that never seems to stop ringing.
 

This morning I stood in the kitchen and looked down at the kitchen table. It was an explosion of tea, rusks and cereal, and two cheeky smiling faces smiled back at me from either end. Thomas (4) And Annabel (2) were still dressed in their pyjamas and had hair sticking out at all angles.
Thomas picked up a yellow torch, which until that moment had managed to escape the breakfast mess, clicked it on, and shone it straight up into his face. He giggled and then had a thoughtful moment.
 

“This was Grampa’s torch� he told us.
“Really?� I said
 

He paused for a moment. Then he asked,
“Did you know that Phoebe died?�
“Yes,� I said, “it was very sad.�
 

“She was a dog, and she went to doggy heaven.�
“Erm…that’s right.�
 

“Does that mean that grampa is in grampa heaven?�
“Well yes, I suppose it does.�
 

“No� he said. “I think he is in people heaven.�
 

From the other end of the table Bella agreed that yellow was indeed one of her favourite colours.
 

These last two days have been a lesson for me. A Carpe Diem few days. Days of complete family grief and tears only eased by the wonderful distraction of children’s play and laughter. The enthusiasm with which kids approach each new day, or opportunity is infectious. From catching a fish to splashing around in the shallows without any pants on.
 

Life is precious, beautiful and finite. Lets use it well.

     

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 25th, 2008 at 2:41 pm and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.