Up until now I thought that the past 8 months were the most difficult thing I had ever had to endure. But I was wrong. Writing this is the most difficult, and that is because it means that this is real and I have to say goodbye.
I am not sure that I will ever have the words adequate enough to honour my dad and his life here on earth, but I have read somewhere... probably pinterest... that "when the right words cannot be found, just love" - so today I am here to love.
- To love the good in him that will linger forever.
- To love the imperfections that allowed us the opportunity to explore, apologise, forgive and grow.
- To love the lessons.
- To love his life, which although cut short, was most definitely fully lived.
- To love and acknowledge that he taught us, specifically my sister and I, never to give up.
- To love his resilience.
- To love him.
Never has a person been so unapologetically themselves.
The end of life deserves as much beauty, care and respect as the beginning. And as we mourn the end of his life here with us, I want to remind us to celebrate the birth of his eternal life. What a beautiful thing that is.
He may be gone from our lives, but he is never gone from our hearts.
Dad, I will love you always and forever. Thank you for all of the lessons and memories. Thank you for teaching me exactly what life is about. Thank you for being you; because of you I am independant and strong. Thank you for loving me, both in this life and the next.
I will hold our last visit in my heart forever. It was awesome, even though you were completely relentless in asking me for orange juice. And I appreciated you asking me if I was turning 27, although as a man that refused to acknowledge his age for at least the past 25 years, I suspect that was more for you than it was for me.
I love you and miss you more than words can ever say. Take it easy Dad.
- extract from my life, 19 January 2017 (Dad's memorial service)
In loving memory
Rory Wayne McChlery
18.09.1962 - 13.01.2017
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