I Blame My Father

September 7, 2014
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

We can trace a lot of things back to our childhoods. For better or for worse it’s those early years that form who we are.

I’m now coming to realise that there are many things that I see in my self today that can be traced directly back to my father and the influence he still has on me.

I blame my father.

I blame my father for the fact that time and time again I suddenly find myself awake in the middle of the night. I wake up and sense someone is in the room. Someone small and furry … with whiskers. It’s one, or often both of our cats wanting to get in under the covers. I love cats. I love them because my dad loved cats. He loved most animals but especially cats.

I blame my father for some of the music that is still stuck in my head. Dad was almost 44 years older than me and so his musical tastes weren’t exactly ‘current’. Which explains why to this day, among an very wide range of music in my collection, covering many different styles, I still listen to Bing Crosby, dad’s favourite singer. (Just don’t mention that I also listen to Sinatra. Dad was certainly not a fan.)

I blame my father for the fact that I’m a qualified chef. Dad was a chef and I followed that career for a number of years. I completed my four year apprenticeship then decided it really wasn’t for me, but it has given me skills I’ve been able to use ever since. It also meant that some years later I was able to work alongside dad for a week when he was cooking at a camp on Rottnest. It was a memorable week.

There are many more things I can see in me that come from my dad. Some good, some not so good. I also know there would be many other parts of who I am that I don’t even recognise as coming from dad but are still part of his influence.

It’s Father’s Day in Australia.

This is my thirteenth Father’s Day without my dad. George Thomas Olsen passed away in August 2002, just a few days before his 83rd birthday and around a month before Father’s Day of that year.

I really do miss dad but it’s not with an overwhelming sadness because I know he’s in a better place and I know I’ll see him again one day.

I still wish he was able to see Emily and James growing up into the wonderful young people that they’re becoming and to get to know Pauline even better.

I look forward to a new day when we’ll catch up on everything we’ve missed over the years.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:4

Today won’t be a sad day because I’ll be spending the day being a dad to my own children and working hard to ensure that there are many ‘good’ things that they’ll be able to blame me for in the years to come.

(Yes, that me with my dad and mum in the picture above. You can click on it for a closer look.)



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading I Blame My Father? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Father’s Day 2013

September 1, 2013
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

Tom Olsen Cook

It’s Sunday morning and the house is quiet, apart from the occasional rustling of cats. I need to make myself a coffee and have a few quiet moments before the busy day begins.

It’s Father’s Day in Australia.

While I’ll spend time celebrating with my children I’m also aware that this will be my twelfth Father’s Day without my own dad. Dad passed away in August 2002, just a few days before his 83rd birthday and around a month before Father’s Day of that year.

I can hear the cats again. I’m not sure what they’re doing. I’m just hoping they not destroying anything but even if they are, I’ll forgive them. I love cats. Most probably because my dad loved cats. He loved most animals ….. but especially cats.

I really do miss dad but it’s not with an overwhelming sadness because I know he’s in a better place and I know I’ll see him again one day.

I still wish he was able to see Emily and James growing up into the wonderful young people that they’re becoming and to get to know Pauline even better.

I wish I could sit down and hear him tell me one of his stories …. again …. and again.

It’s been interesting over the last year or so to have found out a little bit more about our family history as various member of our extended family have been posting bits and pieces to a Facebook page. Earlier this year we even met up with some family members on the Gold Coast and filled in a few more blanks. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older that the events of the past that have helped to make us what we are today seem to be of more interest and carry more significance.

While it’s fascinating to find out facts about those people from the past that I never knew, I wish even more that I had known dad better while he was here. His job meant that he was away for many weeks or even months at a time when I was growing up, and as he was almost 44 when I was born, there was a distance in time between us that was often hard to bridge.

I look forward to a new day when we’ll catch up on everything we’ve missed over the years.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:4

 



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Father’s Day 2013? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Father’s Day 2012

September 2, 2012
by Rodney Olsen
Add Comment

It’s Father’s Day here in Australia.

While I celebrate with my children I’m also aware that this will be my eleventh Father’s Day without my own dad. Dad passed away in August 2002, just a few days before his 83rd birthday and around a month before Father’s Day of that year..

I really do miss dad but it’s not with an overwhelming sadness because I know he’s in a better place and I know I’ll see him again one day.

I still wish he was able to see Emily and James growing up into the wonderful young people that they’re becoming and to get to know Pauline even better.

I wish I could sit down and hear him tell me one of his stories …. again …. and again.

It’s been interesting over the last few months to have found out a little bit more about our family history as various member of our extended family have been posting bits and pieces to a Facebook page. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older that the events of the past that have helped to make us what we are today seem to be of more interest and carry more significance.

While it’s fascinating to find out facts about those people from the past that I never knew, I wish even more that I had known dad better while he was here. His job meant that he was away for many weeks or even months at a time when I was growing up, and as he was almost 44 when I was born, there was a distance in time between us that was often hard to bridge.

I look forward to a new day when we’ll catch up on everything we’ve missed over the years.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:4



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Father’s Day 2012? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

All Fathers Should Swear

August 31, 2012
by Rodney Olsen
Add Comment

White Ribbon, Australia’s campaign to stop violence against women, believes that all fathers should swear this Sunday on Father’s Day. We’re all being encouraged to swear an oath that says, “I swear never to commit, excuse or remain silent about violence against women.”

You can find out more about their Father’s Day campaign and sign the oath at their website.

Contributing to the prevention of men’s violence against women requires more than simply being a non-violent man. It requires an understanding of the factors which underlie and contribute to violence against women and how these factors are deeply engrained in our culture, to the degree to which they are sometimes not immediately obvious. It requires an awareness of how these factors influence our beliefs, attitudes and
behaviours – about what it is to be a man and how to relate to others. It requires the courage to change, to adopt new beliefs and new attitudes, and it requires the knowledge and skills to put new actions and
behaviours in place.

Fatherhood provides this opportunity. Perhaps more than any other life stage, it delivers the chance for men to examine how the factors that contribute to violence against women impact on their choices and behaviours on a daily basis. A good father is a non-violent father. Yet fathers can do much more to prevent violence against women than being non-violent men themselves. Through their relationships with women and children and
their involvement in family tasks and responsibilities, fathers are well positioned to reflect on issues of masculinity and gendered power relations, to do more than just practice non-violence, but actively work towards the creation and maintenance of equal and respectful relationships, and to contribute significantly to the prevention of men’s violence against women.

Whether you’re a father, grandfather, brother or son, I hope you’ll swear this Father’s Day.



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading All Fathers Should Swear? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Father’s Day 2011

September 4, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
Add Comment

It’s Father’s Day here in Australia.

While I celebrate with my children I’m also aware that this will be my tenth Father’s Day without my own dad. Dad passed away in August 2002, just a few days before his 83rd birthday.

I really do miss dad but it’s not with an overwhelming sadness because I know he’s in a better place and I know I’ll see him again one day.

I still wish he was able to see Emily and James growing up into the wonderful young people that they’re becoming and to get to know Pauline even better.

I wish I could sit down and hear him tell me one of his stories …. again …. and again.

I look forward to a new day when we’ll catch up on everything we’ve missed over the years.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:4



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Father’s Day 2011? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.