Dad was the rock on which the wave crashed. He was a great Patriot and 3 time Trump voter even though his normie views on the world were shaped and influenced by his generation. He was such that when he told my Mom a year or so ago that I had been right the entire last 8 years, it held great meaning.
Dad was born on February 27th, 1940. He was the 4th of 6 children born to second generation Americans. Grandpas family had emigrated from Donegal Ireland in the 1860s to Saginaw Michigan through NYC. Grandmas family came to Detroit but first arrived in North America at Joggins NS Canada. We still have family living there today and they still own the house Grandma was born in.
Dad was a proud Irishman that travelled there frequently with Mom to visit my cousins in Donegal. He was baptized on St. Patricks Day and St. Patricks Day fell right in the middle between his death and burial. Full circle.
My Dad was a deeply religious man. His faith influenced his every action. When Mom was dating Dad he joined for a short stint in the Army. Mom loved his Dad and still went to the house every day. One day my Aunt told my Mom to stop coming over, Dad would never marry her, he was going to be a Priest.
Dad was hilarious. Growing up all my friends loved him. He would join us for a beer and his presence was always easy and natural.
Im gonna miss my Dad. The world has lost a great American and a fearless warrior for Christ. I have lost my best friend.
An Irish funeral blessing in Dads honor:
Death is nothing at all
I have only slipped away to the next room.
I am I, and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other, That, we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name.
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes, we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me. Pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect.
Without the trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was.
There is absolute unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you.
For an interval.
Somewhere. Very near.
Just around the corner.
All is well.
Nothing is past; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before, only better, infinitely happier and forever we will all be one together with Christ.
Ill finish with an Irish proverb:
Death leaves a heartache
no one can heal;
Love leaves a memory
no one can steal.
So sorry for your loss, fren. Your father was a good man. ππΌ
That's a lovely tribute. You have my condolences. And for each of you, perhaps this blessing will suit you as you mourn. I'm told it's Irish, but it's a good blessing for anyone going through a parting like this.
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
And the rain fall soft upon your fields
And until you meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hands.
Oh yes it is very Irish. It is a well known blessing. Most people as Irish as my family have this blessing somewhere in their home and all are familiar with it.
I have had it in our home as well. Great grandparents came off the boat. My mother was half Irish, and my grandpa always told her she needed to find a good Irish man... Then she found my mutt father LOL
I have often wanted to go to Ireland to see where my roots are out there.
So sorry for your loss.
Better a mutt than European royalty.
If I go back about 8-9 generations I have some, though I can't recall which country it came from. Germanic or Goth, though I am likely remembering that wrong.
Sorry for your loss,fren.
Sounds like he had a full life.
Amen. Count the blessings of a life well lived and be grateful. In the next room indeed.
Beautiful tribute and prayers. Your dad sounds like a rare treasure. Are you prepared to carry the baton?
I am so grateful your father raised you the way he did. He was clearly a role model for you to live your life fully, laugh often, be comfortable to be around, and most importantly to be Faithful in Christ. You truly understand the meaning of Christ's death for all of us. The promise we will see each other again.
Another reason I am so grateful your dad raised you the way he did, is he gave you the strength to leave an amazing message of love and hope for a great many people, even those you don't know personally, because the message is what matters.
Not only was your father a great example, but you are as well.
May we never be afraid to declare our love for Jesus Christ, to live our lives with happiness and joy, and to take moments each day to improve the lives of others, even strangers, maybe most importantly strangers.
We all deserve lives that are rich with joy, love, and faith.
Thank you for honoring your father, reminding all of us of our Father, and for being a true inspiration with your post. I feel as though I've met your dad, and I look forward to meeting him, and you, someday when our paths come together thanks to our Faith in Him.
Until then, take joy in seeing your dad every time you recall a memory with him. The greatest gift of memories is we can always revisit those we love again and again.
If anyone reading this is in a place to create memories with your loved ones, take those opportunities! Make great memories! Memories are timeless gifts for those you love, and they will endure forever when you're gone.
u/#lord u/#prayer
A beautiful storyβ¦..may your Dad R.I.P. prayers for your comfort and strength.
Cried through the whole poem. Very sorry for your loss.πππ
I'm so sorry for your loss. May his soul rest in peace.
Wonderful tribute. Very sorry for your loss, friend ; I know where you are. Just remember, as long as he is still in your heart and mind, he's not really gone until you are.
Sorry for your loss,fren. Praying for you family.
Sorry for your loss - you were lucky to have had such a wonderful dad. Thanks for sharing, I loved the Irish funeral blessing and proverb.
Lovely tribute.. may God be with you. My condolences fren
While his ship has sailed out of sight, and it may seem sad to us anon; be happy and assured there is an uproar of fanfare where his ship was eagerly awaited, and is now arriving!
Sorry for your loss πππ
I have read your beautiful tribute 3 times...so moving. I still have a lump in my throat. I saved your uplifting post. A life well lived.β¨
What a powerful gift that he shared with your Mom that you were right the last 8 years. I know you will miss your Dad every day but I believe he's right beside you and you can talk to him. I believe he can hear you.
Thanks for sharing his life with your family here. We salute him. Blessings to you LTL. ππ€βοΈπͺ½π
Condolences fren. We have all lost someoneo we know and love these last 9 years. Doesn't get easier as time goes on.
What a wonderful tribute. I am terribly sorry but then. you have a lot to be proud of & to live for. May he rest in peace.
What a beautiful tribute.
NΓ maith liom do thrioblΓ³id Sorry for your loss
Don't take this the wrong way.
The world has lost nothing and you have lost nothingβyour father lives.
Death is but a thin veil, an imaginary line separating us from those who have passed from this world and onto bigger and greater things.
Sure, from our perspective we have 'lost' him, in that we cannot perceive your father in the ways which we are accustomed.
But just as our Creator dwells within us all, so also the energy, the love, and I tell you the truth, the presence of your father dwells within you.
When your loved ones, even your friends, pass on they leave with you some of their essence, some of their soul, some of their energy.
That spiritual inheritance is very, very, very real I assure you.
And there is nothing like the injection of pure soul energy from a father to a son.
I felt it when my maternal grandad passed. And I felt it even more when my paternal grandad passed.
I cried my heart out when my father's dad passed. He died on my birthday, as well. But at the same time I felt a surge of energy, as the wonderful and powerful pastor I knew before had blossomed into eternal form and had now joined the saints in prayer both for me and for all of humanity.
No one had to teach me this doctrine. No one has ever tried to convince me of these things. I have stood face to face with the truth. I know that life is a test, and death is a joke.
Death is like a scary story told to children, a cautionary tale. The greatest urban legend. Death is not real.
DMT showed me the way. The place we are is cleverly designed by a perfect and amazing Creator.
It is not intended for any of the Chosen to die. And die, we do not.
And it is certainly not intended for you, brother, to be forever in mourning and in sadness.
I write this not purely to tell you as if you do not know, or on the chance you do not know. I write this in respect for the memory of your father, the memory of my kin, the memory of my dearest departed Friends, and in the interest of all souls who may encounter this text.
Those grateful dead are cheering us on, they are proud of us, they anticipate and look forward to our futures, and gleefully they know there will come a day when we will join them in doing bigger and greater things, and yet still have the time to cheer for those of us still in this struggle, this fight, this illusion, this Matrix.
Take time, for you and for your sanity, to mourn the separation you're experiencing, the changes in your life going forward without the accustomed physical presence of your father. But don't for one moment trick yourself into believing he is not here, that he is lost, or that his fight is over, friend.
Blessed are you today and more blessings upon you. Praise be to God.
True. See The Friday Afterlife Report
https://victorzammit.com/March21st2025/
One of the Irish most enduring traditions is the Funeral Wake. A wake isnt as much about mourning our loss as it is celebrating life. We often pass a bottle of something like Tullamore around and we tell happy stories of life and joy.
So I wont take what you wrote the wrong way.
The Irish Blessing I quoted in the op:
Death is nothing at all
I have only slipped away to the next room.
I am I, and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other, That, we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name.
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes, we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me. Pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect.
Without the trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was.
There is absolute unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you.
For an interval.
Somewhere. Very near.
Just around the corner.
All is well.
Nothing is past; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before, only better, infinitely happier and forever we will all be one together with Christ.
Beautiful, succinct, and accurate.
π₯² π
That was beautiful. Sending you and your family all of the love.
I'm truly sorry. He may have moved on, but you haven't truly lost him.
I am so sorry to hear that!
I am sorry for your loss, I know when my Dad passed it was the greatest loss of my life. π
Sorry for the loss of your father, he sounds like he was a good man and father. Praying heart healing prayers for you and your family π
Great tribute fren, I'm sorry for loss. God bless
would it have been easier on you if you had grown up despising your da'? remember him for the good times and the good things. perhaps a listen to a rendition of the parting glass, and remember that no matter how good someone can be, they do not live forever...
That was one of the most beautiful tributes I have ever read. He sounds like a great man who left a great legacy. The poem brought the tears.
God willing, we're all going home.
Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, and souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Fren, I love how St. Patrick guided him from start to finish. A very special grace. Thank you for this beautiful tribute to your wonderful father. Heartfelt condolences to you and your family. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Sql9X4H0VY
Ty for the prayer.
May he rest in peace
Sorry for your loss fren but if you believe in Jesus it's not a loss at all !!
I'm sorry your dad is no longer here on Earth, but I rejoice in knowing what a great man he was while he was with you. He and the angels will be looking out for you and your family.
What a beautiful tribute. I am so very sorry for your loss. You will be in my prayers tonight. πππ
My husband's mother is from Donegal (Clonmany)- she was the only one who came to America. The rest are still there.
We Catholics will pray for his soul and the rest of the family departed, who are hopefully already all reunited in heaven, preparing places for you and the other beloved still on the mortal fields.
Thank you my friend in Christ.