But I Smile Anyway…

Today is the birthday of a man who is very special to me. In fact, without him, I wouldn’t be around today, literally!

It’s Pop’s Birthday Y’all!

Now if you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you will know the importance that my Pops has in my life. He has been a tower of strength, a teacher of positivity, a provider of stability, a fount of love. And my brother and I are so lucky to have him as one-half of our amazing parents!

I have always been a total daddy’s girl, and he has always doted on me.

Over 40 years ago, when I was born, a woman came to see me. My mum’s mother had come over from Kenya. This woman came over and practically started to mourn the fact that the grandma had come over and a girl, rather than a boy, had been born.

My Pops was disgusted, and said, straight to her face that she should be ashamed, being a woman herself, and saying that. When I was born, he actually distributed sweets to the family. At the time this was only done when a boy was born. But from the beginning, my Pops had a strong belief that we are all equal. Boy or girl, your baby was a blessing from above and we should be thankful for our child.

We were able to give Pops the surprise of a lifetime last year, when it was his 70th birthday, by arranging for the whole of his family to be in Finland, for a holiday to celebrate his big day. If you want, you can read more about that fantastic trip here.

I only wish we were able to give him that kind of surprise every year but alas, it is not always possible.

Still, I wanted to take this time out to say Happy Birthday Pops! I love you very much, and feel blessed to have a father like you! ❤