40 Times Around The Sun on the Third Stone

Around this time on a fine Spring Tuesday morning 40 years ago my daughter was born in an atmosphere of chaos and magic. She was born at home in our little house in Hartwell, we had our friend Lynne as our midwife and the Doctor was running late. All went well and the magic of her birth has transcended the years and become a trademark of her life. A few days later I put her in the pram and we went for a walk down to Lynden Park, near home. At one point I looked into her eyes and there was a moment of recognition, I don’t quite know what it was but 2 things happened. I felt a slight moment of trepidation and I thought to myself “Welcome back into my life Allissa”. There are things that you know but you don’t know how you know. This was one of those moments. 

We’ve ridden the waves of life together sharing the moments of happiness, exhilaration and joy and also been dumped onto the rocks hidden under the raging water but we always made it back to the surface with a smile on our faces and a high 5.

I don’t know what other fathers aspire to in their relationships with their daughters but I really hit the jackpot. She’s a bit like a searcher who stepped out of a Jack Kerouac novel. Always ready to try a new adventure, not tied down by the constraints of what society expects, never being quite satisfied with her knowledge and understanding of life. Some of my most inspiring moments have been born out of conversations we’ve had. We don’t talk about the weather! Almost every day something new and challenging enters into to our conversations and inspires me to look a bit harder, a bit deeper.

I am a very grateful father who has been blessed with a daughter who has not only helped me grow but who has inspired me to reach for the stars.