Letters From The Past

I came across letters that my brother and dad wrote to me whilst I was 15/16 when I was living in the UK with my mum and they were living abroad due to my dad being on an engineering contract. I could have gone too but wanted to stay in the UK to complete schooling here having moved around so much already in my life to that point due to my dad taking engineering contracts abroad.

My dad passed away a few years ago and I lost my mum a long time before that.

Anyway, where I am going with this is that the memories I have of my dad is that I found it difficult to talk to him a lot of the time and he was strict but a good dad who tried his best and I love him for that.

Looking at the few letters today that he wrote to me back then, I am grateful for the words that he wrote and which I had forgotten.

An extract from one of his letters whilst I was studying for my exams and my mum was ill - 'I want you to do really well this term you have the brains, who knows you may even become a vet after all.'

I never did become a vet, which is what I wanted to be, as some of my grades weren't up to it having spent most of my earlier school years moving around and no two schools are at the same point in their syllabus, and then at the time of my essential exams I was living with friends as my mum was ill in hospital. Needless to say, it took its toll.

My brother's letters are making sure I'm ok, describing what he is doing in a funny way that made me laugh and talk of drawing and his focus on getting art qualifications to maybe one day set up his own advertising agency. He has made a very successful career in advertising and could, if he still wants to, set up his own advertising agency.

Me, I eventually got my qualifications, some of which were at night school whilst working full time. I'm a qualified Project Manager and have worked all my adult life (touch wood for it to continue or to win the lottery if I remember to get a ticket). I didn't realise my dreams of being a vet but I have realised many other dreams and have wonderful family and friends around me and appreciate them so much.

The letters from the past have reminded me how far I have come from my 16 year old self and that my dad loved me and did what he could for me. Also, that my brother wrote some pretty good letters as a teenager and was there for me, if just in writing, which makes a difference. And he is still there for me now, albeit approx 10,500 miles away :)