My dad had great humour and there are many funny stories that I could tell but I choose instead to talk about his most prized piece of furniture. The old mirrored hall stand that once stood in my grandmother’s hallway.

It is not an attractive piece of furniture, a hook needs replacing and no doubt you couldn’t give it away. But I remember sitting with Dad more than once as he told me why he put such value on it. I think it shows the way he viewed things especially the love of his family.

He told me “ all my family looked in that mirror and their faces reflected back... it was the last thing we all looked into before we left the house. My father on his way to work or the club, my mother in her widows clothes on her way to his funeral, my sister on her wedding day, Don and I adjusting our uniforms after a short leave, my brother before he went to Australia ... just think all of us looked into that mirror....”

My sincere wish and belief is that when he woke from his final sleep all of those faces were right there shining a reflection back at the love he felt for them.

Love Jan