The writing on the wall
Written by John Macpherson
Beginnings © John MacPherson
Something for Father’s Day. (and I feel somewhat guilty at moving the Musa Okwonga post below further down – PLEASE watch it.)
His last years were hard. My dad’s. Too much illness. Far too much for anyone to bear.
But borne well, with good humour. He always liked a laugh. All his life. Good laughs. Intelligent laughs.
We were all summoned to the hospice, as the life slipped out of him.
Mum, my brother and I sat with him on the bed, our arms around him. He was propped up on a pillow, a long absent stare draped over him like a veil.
But he kept lifting from the pillow, and staring.
Differently. Observantly.
Not absently.
Off towards some point high in front of him across the room.
“What are you looking at Donnie?” said mum anxiously.
No answer. (of course)
Again “Donnie, what is it? What can you see?” said mum, disturbed.
“It’s the writing” said my brother.
“What?” said mum
“The writing.” he said again.
“What writing?” she asked “Where?” puzzled now.
“The writing on the wall” I replied. And he and I both laughed. Bed-shaking laughter. Knowing (as brothers do), just knowing.
As the bed shook dad stirred a little. Mum looked utterly dismayed.
But only for a moment. Then she realised, and she too smiled. Then laughed.
And we all laughed, and laughed and laughed and laughed. With dad.
Dad decided later that night to leave us. After years of being at the beck and call of illness, keeping it’s schedule, he chose his own time to depart.
And how satisfying to leave after laughing with us all.
Birth.
Mirth.
Earth.
Thats life.
Author — John Macpherson
John MacPherson was born and lives in the Scottish Highlands. He trained as a welder in the Glasgow shipyards, before completing an apprenticeship as a carpenter, and then qualified as a Social Worker in Disability Services. Along the way he has cooked on canal barges, trained as an Alpine Ski Leader & worked as an Instructor for Skiers with disabilities, been a canoe instructor, and tutor of night classes in carpentry, stained glass design and manufacture, and archery. He has travelled extensively on various continents, undertaking solo trips by bicycle, or motorcycle. He has had narrow escapes from an ambush by terrorists, been hit by lightning, caught in an erupting volcano, trapped in a mobile home by a tornado, kidnapped by a dog's hairdresser, rammed by a basking shark and was once bitten by a wild otter. He has combined all this with professional photography, which he has practised for over 35 years. He teaches photography and acts as a photography guide & tutor in the UK and abroad. His biggest challenge is keeping his 30 year old Land Rover 110 on the road. He loves telling and hearing stories.