Celebrating Father's Day without a Grandad

By Mel Rose

I was blessed with an amazing, supportive dad and a loving grandad. Sadly, I won’t celebrate with both of them this year like we always do. It’ll only be my dad I'll be celebrating with this year. To keep my grandad’s memory alive, I wanted to try a few things:

♡ My grandad’s ashes were scattered over a beautiful place called the Garden of Remembrance. So I plan to visit on Father’s Day to ensure he gets the love he deserves.

♡ My grandad was a huge food lover; he had an allotment where he grew his own natural veg! - So, I thought I would cook up one of his favourite meals, which was a good old Sunday roast!

♡ As I love writing, I was thinking of writing him a letter, expressing how much I miss him and what he taught me whilst I was growing up.

♡ My grandad used to make dollhouses from scratch - he was a very creative man - so I think that’s where I get it from! He would make dollhouses and donate them to children's charities. So I plan to visit the charities my grandad used to donate to and get to know the people there, and tell them stories about my grandad.

Those are just some ideas I’ve come up with so far, as they are very close to home for me and personal, so I think it’ll be a grand way of celebrating Father’s Day for my grandad.

If you’re struggling this Father’s Day with a similar situation, then I recommend doing something that reminds you of that loved one. You can use some of my examples above, I’ve included, or I’ll leave some more below for you to read!

♡ Write down favourite memories, quotes, or lessons they taught you. Add photos or small keepsakes. This is a beautiful way to keep their spirit alive!

♡ This one I loved trying, and it was making a playlist of songs that remind you of them. I thought this was a beautiful little activity to try out!

♡ If you have any clothes that they used to wear or fabrics, then why not make a teddy bear out of them? I’ve got a pair of my grandad’s pyjamas that I’m going to get crafted into a teddy for myself to keep.

Last but not least, bring their favourite flowers, talk to them, or sit and reflect by where they are resting.

If you are struggling, then please see below some websites I’ve provided for you to try:

♡ https://www.grief.com/ - Offers resources, articles, and interviews about grief and healing.

♡ Whats your Grief - Education, tools, and community for coping with grief.

♡ Compassionate Friends - Support for those who have lost a child, sibling, or parent.

Happy Father’s Day to all our loved ones