Where it says, 'Dad' I could have written, friend, brother, father, pastor, elder, pioneer, trail blazer, apostle, minister, and probably some more things if I thought about it more. So why Dad?
Well because that word describes Goerge better than any of the other ones above.. It's who he is to me, it's who he was when he met me on Raikes Parade and he told me I had a destiny to fulfill.
When he opened the boot of his car and handed me a brand new pair of jeans and two new t-shirts, because he knew being out of work I couldn't afford them myself, he was being my dad.
When he had introduced me to the Jesus Fellowship it was dad that told his son he needed to leave home and visit far away places like Warwickshire, where a great man called Steve lived...
When I needed to get to Rochdale to see my son whom I was struggling to have any contact with at all, dad leant me his posh Peugot 405 to be able to get there, week after week, after week. I simply have no words to describe what this meant / means to me.
When I met my wife on the CB radio and told him I was going to marry her SEVEN WEEKS later he said, 'course you are', and smiled. Only dad was ever going to take charge of the service where the church blessed our marriage, no one, not even Noel himself was ever going to bless our marrage.
This man may be one of the most misunderstood people I have ever met, but as God is my witness he loved me when no one else could, held me when no one else would, and nothing in this world, or the next will ever seperate me from my dad, nothing.
Dad, Odette and I love you so very much, I know you know that.. don't ever forget it.. thank you for always loving us.