Dreaming of my father

It's always sad when a family member dies, but we're lucky to have memories of them, either our own memories or memories that others have passed on to us.

My dad died over 12 years ago now. We had a difficult relationship and went in and out of each other's lives. As a child I was quite angry at the choices he made and how they impacted us as a family. But over the years I've come to accept, as every child eventually does, that our parents aren't perfect. Now, I only have love for him and I'm thankful for the memories I have of him.

We didn't have much contact with his side of the family, but over the years I've been able to connect with many of them on Facebook and we've been able to share information about family members and importantly, some photos. I only had a few photos, but one of my auntie's and a cousin have been able to send me some photos of my dad. This has really helped me feel much closer to him.

I've always thought about him a lot, especially around his birthday and when he died. But it's been a long time since I dreamed of him.

It was a funny old dream, because I was talking to my dad about the family tree and asking for some photos - but interestingly his dad was also there! This is interesting because I never knew my paternal grandfather as he died when my dad was a child. It made me feel so connected and renewed my interest in the family tree.

It's weird how the brain works. I wonder what happened to make his dream come together, but whatever the reasons, I'm glad that I had that time with them - even though it was just in my head!

My dad, Roy Stefan Brown. 2 February 1955 - 24 October 2002.