Yes, Eric, I was able to take away some good.

It IS sad we never really got to talk about things, but he would never have done that. He sure did not want to do it with the other four.

• All these years later I am writing, something he always said I should do, and loving it.
• His paranoia was passed on to me but in reality has saved my bacon on many occasions.
• I never took up smoking after he said I could. After which I tried it once smoking a whole packet of french cigarettes end to end got sick as a dog and never touched them since. He smiled wisely and said “One man’s meat is another man’s poison” true in his case - he died of lung cancer.
• I learned to do things that really were not easy for me.
• I think the takeaway from his way of doing things was to NOT do things that way. So I actually have learned something.

I think that parenting is the hardest job in the world. I think that being a
Dad to a girl is really hard. Being her rock so she knows she can always come to you for advice/sympathy/ succour — super important.

do the best that you can. give her a shoulder to cry on, Praise her when she does well, encourage her when she is not doing great.

XXO