Archive for July 2021

July sees my daughter conquer yet more obstacles in her short 18 years.

This month she starts at college studying to be a veterinary nurse and has been awarded the final stage in her Brown Belt in kung fu – one step away from Black Belt.

Ten years ago she underwent brain surgery for seizures which left her unable to read or write at 8 years old.

Three days after the operation, she was at home, free from convulsions. It was then when she expressed an interest in an iPad.

Six months after receiving one, she was literate and attended all her local schools.

Her courage and determination to overcome astound me, as does her compassion to animals and sensitivity to others.

I’m humbled by her can-do attitude whilst ashamed of my own shortcomings.

Her ability to withstand fear and anxiety in an intolerant world further highlights my failures to do so.

Her presence lifts the hearts of those who know her.

There is no father more proud than I.

It makes me the wealthiest man in the universe.

Follow your dreams, sweetheart.

You can be whomever and whatever you choose.