I would like to dedicate today's issue of the Daily Dose to my father - John Frederick Bradshaw who died on the 2nd January 2008. My father was 70 years old.
 
For those of you who don't know us - I was born into a family who had lived for generations in the same village in the heart of the Midlands. A rural town in the heart of England that boasts an entry in the Domesday book.

When my father was 19 he formed part of the army sent to Cyprus to look after the British interests there. Unfortunately for my father his career as a soldier came to an end when he was shot, and invalided out of the army and home. His career spanned less than a year. Thankfully after he recovered he met my mum, and the rest as they say - is history.

In my opinion, my dad lived a lifetime of regrets. Wrong place, wrong time. Bullets, war, sickness, dead end jobs. A heart attack when he was in his mid 50's and a battle with emphysema that eventually weakened his body and soul so much so he couldn't cope with English winters and the associated colds, flu and bronchial pneumonia that would eventually end his time on this earth.

One of the reasons why I do as much as I do, is because of my dad. I managed to escape the village some 12 years ago and made Western Australia my home. Dad liked it here. He could understand why we would want to live 12,000 miles away from "home".

My dad wished things could be different. I do things so I know things can be different. And I like knowing that I am doing my part in making a difference to the way people's lives turn out. To the way your life turns out.

So, as you start your new year, consider that while your past is important - after all - you wouldn't be who you are today without your past decisions, your past actions and your inherited family genetics and traits. It is your future that is vital. After all, your future is where you will live the rest of your life.
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"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards" Soren Aaby Kierkegaard (1813-1855) Danish philosopher and theologian
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