Around the world, Father’s Day is being celebrated! To all the amazing fathers, father figures, grandfathers and mum’s who act like fathers, I wish you all the most incredible day! However, there is one man, who will always beat you to me! Even though he isn’t with us any more, my dad simply was the best man there was and ever will be!

Good Morning Lovelies, 

And a very very happy Father’s Day to all of you who are celebrating! I hope you are having a wonderful time doing lots of fun things! For me, this day is no longer a celebration with the person I loved the most, but a celebration of him and how fantastic my dad was! 

From the moment I was born, my dad claimed me as his princess. The only girl in a house full of boys, he made sure that I was raised to be strong, independent and as confident as them. He wanted me to have the opportunities in life that they did and the day I graduated I think he could see he had achieved it. 

Both himself and my mum, showed me and my brother Gio, the importance of earning everything we had. To save money. To work for what we wanted. Even if that meant selling something at a car boot or Facebook. The pair of them showed us what love was really like. They were real, raw, honest and open about every aspect of their lives. 

My dad often stated how he struggled to identify who or where he really came from. He was an immigrant, brought to England at the age of eight, so that my grandad could work in the pits. He grew up in Burnley and was forever proud of his northern roots. He only moved to the south of England for work, but then he met my mum and the rest is history. 

Whilst we could argue, we had a very open relationship. We could talk about anything and everything. Often, on journeys to school or the train station, my dad would tell me all the issues that were bothering him, especially when it came to my other brother and his ways. He never wanted to cause my mum pain by telling her, however, he knew he could trust me with them. 

Since loosing him, I feel more connected to him than I ever did before. I feel such pride to have his surname. I feel incredibly proud to talk about him and won’t ever stop. Every day, I talk to him in fact. When I wake up, I come downstairs straight away to say good morning and to blow a kiss to him. I feel like it sets up how my day will be. If I miss saying hello, I feel bad. 

The grief I carry for him is also a gift. It’s the gift of knowing how much love I had for him. That I will always have for him. The pain of him not being here is a pain I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I yearn for a hug off him. The tight squeeze of his arms around me. I miss the sounds he would make. The loudness of his voice but the silence of his laughter. 

I wish I could hear his footsteps as he placed his feet on the floor when getting up. The way he would sing to himself in the mirror, calling himself handsome. He was my first real body confidence advocate if I think about it, as I would watch him give himself a pep talk every morning in the mirror. I miss seeing him playing cars with my nephew. I know he would have adored seeing his best friend playing football, praising him every step of the way. That was something that my dad always did with all of us. Even if it was the smallest of praise from others, his heart would grow with pride and he would tell everyone about it. 

On this Father’s Day, my gift to him is my oath to always remember him. To always share my love for him. To tell his story like he always wanted us to do. To spread his joy. Over the past few months, I have heard from endless amounts of people that I am just like him. That I have his ways. I like to stay busy like him. I like to help others. I like to explore. That’s all him. And I’m so so proud of it! My dad will live on in every memory, story and photo we have of him. And I will forever share his love too! Once a Tamburello, always a Tamburello! 

Happy Father’s Day Pops! I will love you to eternity and back forever! 

Joey X