A Thank You letter to the greatest man I’ve known…

The English language fails to have a word to describe the depths of sadness you feel, or how your heart can feel heavy, how your stomach can drop to your feet, or how losing someone can really cripple you.

This week I’ve been thinking about what I should say here today. I asked myself if I should use humour and attempt to be funny considering it was one of the greatest gifts my da gave us. He would take every opportunity he could to show us that a great sense of humour really does cure all pain and made no apologies about showing it, especially at the most inappropriate times. He also showed us that it’s OK to laugh at ourselves and to honestly not care what anyone thought as long as we were happy with who we are!

The truth is, how do you even begin to capture in a few sentences the significant impact my da has made in my life and no douth the lives of many of you here today.

To help get me focused, I decided to write this a Thank You letter in an attempt to acknowledge the the most valuable contribution anyone has ever made to my life. A contribution that has laid the foundations of the man I am today.

Firstly, I’d like to start of by thanking him for his wisdom. It didn’t come in lengthy lectures or in many cases even relied on facts. It was always short and swift and in most cases delivered with a one liner like ‘Clothes never made a man’ when he saw you all dressed up and on your way out or when referring to money he’d casually say, ‘You can’t spend it when you’re gone so get rid of it now — by giving it to me’ — but in those one liners I knew exactly what he meant. Your life lessons were fine tuned and fast! Your advice and guidance has helped me navigate my way through life in ways I can’t even begin to explain. You taught me to keep life simple and to always focus on the truth and stand up for what I believe in.

Secondly, I’d like to thank you for my heart. Underneath your tough body armour, you showed me that love isn’t something you feel, it’s something you do! You were never afraid to say that you loved me and would never fail to hug me whenever you could. You showed me that what you ask for from the world is exactly what you’ll get back and that you don’t always have to tell people you love them, you just have to give them no reason to doubt it.

Thirdly, thank you for showing me that you weren’t perfect. I’m not either, and nobody else is. You admitted to being human and didn’t really care about making mistakes. In that you showed me that falling down was just as important as standing up! You never stopped encouraging me and pushed me to achieve everything I’ve put my mind to. You made me realise that people need to be encouraged. People need to be reminded of how great they are. People need to be believed in—told that they are brave and smart and capable of accomplishing anything they want. I remind myself of this daily.

Fourthly, Thank you for your honesty! You never compromised who you are or how you felt. You understood the value of conqeuence when I was growing up and never shielded me from the truth. You told me my heart would be broken and that it will hurt a lot. You told me that I would piece it back together and it will get shattered again. And again. And again. And it will hurt every time. Your heart will break over things that have nothing to do with significant others. You will have your heart broken when you don’t get the job you really wanted. You will have your heart broken when you fail a test. You will have your heart broken when one of your best mates emigrates. But every time you do, that feeling is a reminder that you cared about something and you took a risk and you put yourself on the line and, most importantly, that you’re alive.

And finally, thank you for your courage, you have helped me light a fire in myself that allows me to move forward in life with pride, integrity, tenacity and a twisted sense of humour that continues to make me the man I am today. You’ve given me the confidence to keep climbing and to never give up on what I want and where I want to be. You’ve left a legacy that I intend to keep alive through all of the stories that you’ve left us. From myself and the rest of the family, thank you for being the greatest man we know and I hope we’ve made you even half as proud as you’ve made us of you.

- Young Michael