I joined up for the Weekly Post Challenge last week. I thought this would be a good way to get myself really motivated around my Blog. As part of this you can sign up to be sent ideas to write about and this morning I have received my first emails with suggestions. There were a couple of topics that were interesting, but I didn’t really want to write about and then there was this photo - blue and white balloons. And the first thought that came in to my head was my Dad.
My beautiful Dad left this life on Grand Final day 2001. He had gone from being pretty fit and healthy to not OK in a few short weeks and the final stage from diagnosis of bone cancer to his passing was only 10 days, not enough time for us to come to terms with his illness let alone prepare ourselves for his death. He was admitted to hospital on Mum’s 67th birthday and his funeral was just a week later on Mum and Dad’s 47th Wedding Anniversary (which also happened to be my 25th Wedding Anniversary). So what have the balloons got to do with this?
My Dad was a passionate follower of Australian Rules football. Actually he loved all sport. He played tennis and football when he was younger and was a very competitive and aggressive player. That’s what happens when you’re one of seven and have five sports crazy brothers! In his playing days he was a member of the East Ringwood football club. Even after Dad stopped playing, he continued to follow the club and so we would spend every Saturday afternoon during winter watching ‘East’ play – the mighty Bluebirds!! 
East’s colours are Blue and White and so the connection to the balloons is revealed. At Dad’s funeral we draped his casket with Football memorabilia and so there was a Collingwood scarf (his other football passion) and his East Ringwood scarf and then we tied balloons to the handles and, although it is the blue and white balloons of this image that brought all this to mind today, on the day of his funeral it was black and white balloons – for Collingwood, of course. At the end of the service, when he was taken out of the chapel, we released the balloons and set his spirit free.
I love you Dad.
