25th August 2021
My dad was not perfect, but for me, he was as close as you could get to it. My childhood was full of stories about how clever and intelligent my father was, since he was a little boy. The last book my father was reading was the “Quantum Theory”. I look at his books around me, and I wonder how he managed to read them all - most of them pretty heavy stuff -, and I know he did, because he could talk about everything! My dad was kind, loving, giving, utterly devoted to his family, a fantastic blind chess player, a great cook and our ROCK! I simply adored and admired my father. He had a heart-attack in April 2021, and managed to survive for another week, and his phone did not stop with well-wishing calls from everyone he knew. It was their goodbye, because a week later, and exactly 4 months ago his heart gave up. I managed to come to Turkey the day after and was able to attend to his funeral even during the times of Covid-19, be with my siblings and my mum. Life turns out in strange ways, because due to Covid restrictions, I have been in Turkey for the past 4 months, while my husband and daughter are in England, frustrated at times for not being able to go home. On the hindsight, I have visited my dad’s olive grows, stayed in a place he loved, walked my sadness off at the beach with our adopted street dog Balli, spent time with my family, my best friends came to be with us, I was still able to support my clients, helped to an army of street cats, dogs and tortoises around me, and I thought; life has thrown me several challenges unexpectedly, and I have raised up to them with deep calmness, just like my dad would, because he lives on in me. I feel stronger than before, continuing to do what I am best at: Helping others to reclaim their lives. A great thank you to my father for everything he has taught me to handle life’s challenges. His light is still shinning up on me ❤️