Father

Dear Sean,

From what I have learned, your father left your family.

He became estranged and he moved to England.

Right before you died, you wrote him a letter.

I often wonder - what did he think when he received your words about the execution?

I can't imagine.

Jack - I am so lucky.

Even though we may not see eye to eye sometimes, I love my mother and father so much.

I am lucky because they are together.

They have a wonderful relationship. Of course everything isn't peaches and cream all the time - but they have shown me true love exists.

When my mother is upset at my father for something he did, I can see it written all over his face.

He resembles a puppy that has been kicked repeatedly.

He looks absolutely broken and bruised on the inside and my heart aches for him.

My mother can be very stubborn and her bark is worse than her bite.

Yet at the end of the day - It's all nothing but love.

Not the storybook kind of love. Real love.

The love that is not glamorized.

Its beautiful, ugly, and raw.

Sean there are days I look at my father sitting at the table.

Or when he is out shoveling the snow or getting the mail.

I look at him and I realize that one day he isn't going to be doing these things anymore. He is going to be gone. Buried underground.

Day by day he is getting older and older. We all are.

His hearing is slowly going away, and when he holds things, his hands shake more and more.

Just the thought of my father dying...

Sean its unbearable the lump in my throat I get.

I am getting tears in my eyes right now.

I don't want my father to go.

My friends wanted me to go out to eat dinner with them tonight.

I told my father this as he was preparing a chicken.

"But I thought you were eating with us!" he said.

I watched him as he slaved away in the kitchen.

I would've loved to go eat with my friends - but how many years do I have left with my daddy?

None of us know.

The chicken he made did not turn out the way he wanted it to be and he was quite distraught.

But I ate it with a smile and gushed over how good it was.

He says goodnight to me every night when he walks  past my bedroom.

He greets me in the morning and always asks how my day was when I come home from University.

How on earth did I get so lucky Sean?

So many people - including you, never get to see this sort of thing.

There are so many divorces and broken families in the world.

 

Sean.

How did you die knowing you were leaving behind a mother, brother and sisters?

I know you were proud to be a solider - and proud to die such a death fighting for Ireland.

But when you thought of family..how could you not have a broken heart? Did that break you to pieces?

I hope you are safe.

I hope you are happy.

I'll see you soon.

Love always,

Kathryn

The girl on earth