I would like to take a moment to say goodbye to my Dad today. Sidney GEORGE Fredrick COOPER, my dad, died last Friday very suddenly. It has been quite the shock and the last week has gone by in such a blur.
I didn't get a lot of time with my father but the time I did have was very magical. He taught me a lot over the years, things I am so thankful for. I'll always remember the trip to Ottawa that we took, to the Children's Hospital with Asia and Sienna. He sat there in the waiting room next to a special-needs child who was quite loud. He never stared, he never made comments, all he did was smile at that child. Everyone else in that room ignored the child or stared...Dad shared a smile with that child. He didn't judge. He just did his own thing and moved forward in his life. We got lost on the way home that day and I was getting nervous because I had 2 children with seizures in the car and no idea where we were. Dad's words were very comforting, "Don't worry, nobody's ever been lost forever". This made us both laugh.
Then there were the memories of my dad in his shop riding around on a bicycle with no tires, just rims, with me perched on his lap. He'd sing, "It's a Long way to Piccadily" over and over. That was a very long time ago. I have other just as important memories like when he fell through the ice on Lake Ontario and pretended that he wasn't cold as we took the almost mile walk back home. He was brave even though he must have been afraid that day. He went right under the ice and had trouble finding the hole to get back up. Now that I'm an adult I can only imagine how scary that must have been with me, barely 7, standing there watching him under the ice.
I wish that I had more time with my dad but it was just never in the cards. I will miss is sense of humour, his compassion, and his apple pie. Rest well Dad, I have missed you for many years but never more than I do now.
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