Folk festivities

Hello Grace.
I am hoping that you're ok.
I saw you recently at the Moseley Folk Festival. I didn't know you would be there although I had a feeling you would be. You were listening to two pirates telling stories and then later had your face painted after having a go on the carousel.
You went to your first Moseley folk festival when you were just a 9 months old. I have the pictures of you crawling around and enjoying the sun and mellow atmosphere, as far as I know you have been every year since. I wonder if you remember the earlier years you were there. How great it is that you experience live music from an early age. I wonder if you musical when you grow up.
I took some pictures of you as you can see. I found it hard seeing you as you didn't want to play or talk with me much. I got the feeling that you knew that you would have to leave me at the end of the day and so didn't want to allow yourself to connect with me as you would only end up disappointed as has happened so many times when we have had to leave each other.
I know that's how I felt.
I hope you had a good day, just after these pictures were taken, your mother and you walked off the site and so didn't see you after that, although I looked for you afterwards.
I hope one day you and I can go to a festival together and enjoy the music and atmosphere and spend as much time together as you want.

You will have done your first week back at school by the time by now. I remember that as a time as a mixture of excitement, fear and wonder. I would have my new uniform, books, pens and bag, ready for a new year full of good intentions and high expectations.
I enjoyed school up to the age of around 12 when I went to the big school. It was there that I realised that I had to become responsible for my life and future, which really terrified me and so i kicked against the 'system' of school and didn't really apply myself to anything really. I enjoyed English, Art, music and sports although I was a quite a heavy kid, I liked the release of physical exercise.

I hope you find out what you like and apply yourself to becoming great at it.
That's the secret of life, it's very simple really, listen to people who are older and wiser and consider what they are saying. Wisdom is hard earned through tough experiences so when people share their wisdom, the least you can do is sit with it and feel how it sits with you, you'll know if it's the truth by how it 'sits' with you.

My father had wisdom and was always wanting me to develop discipline, learn a skill, craft or trade and be really good at it, work hard and live with a good, light heart.
I heard his words but I wasn't ready to accept them or act them, instead I  just thought that he was trying to kill my fun, he didn't know what it was like to be me so don't tell me what to do. It's a necessary part of growing up, finding your own identity and questioning authority. But really my dad only wanted to share the wisdom he had gained and loved me enough to say try and teach me some valuable lessons with tough love but I didn't respond.

However,I  now see just how much he must have hurt when I didn't listen to him, such is life. I am glad I got to make peace with him before he died, I often speak to him in my thoughts and prayers and know now that he's proud of me, he is still in my heart and I consider my self to be very lucky to have had a father who passed on so many good qualities to me like perseverance, discipline and a good sense of humour! He also had his  flaws as we all do and was largely absent during my up bringing, not necessarily physically but emotionally, he was an old school strong, silent type who wasn't really in touch with his emotions or inner self but particularly later in his life we did get closer and shared some nice memories even though he suffered terribly towards the end of his life.
Any ways, I am writing this in a stream of conciousness as you can probably tell, it's quite late now and I am tired from working today.
I am going to see Libby tomorrow as it's 8th birthday. I have bought her some lovely silver ear rings as she is having her ears pierced. I will wish her a happy birthday from you, she misses you and always asks after you. I hope you and her get to play together/see each other again in the future.

Have a lovely, peaceful sleep and your day is a happy and fun filled one.

I love you and miss you.

Daddy.xxxx