Sunday Sermon IX - my Coronation Chicken Sandwich Family Philosophy…x

Evening campers. 

Well, what a week this has been. I've absolutely loved it bar a little Delhi belly Monday evening. I've been to 4 cities, recruited, trained, driven, met, met some more, fundraised, celebrated, commiserated, stayed sober, been drunk on life and officially named and became the father of, Rudy Alexander, and Felix George O'Neill. 

I also just made Coronation Chicken sandwiches from scratch. I have no doubt whatsoever that they’re the best Coronation Chicken ever made. Mind you, i reckon 2 sandwiches cost about £7 and 45 mins of my life to make at home, so it makes you wonder what goes into one usually, enabling them to be sold to the public for £2 a pop. I guess, zero free range chicken, zero Bolst's curry powder, zero freshly toasted almond flakes, zero bread from Hart's bakery. I guess a little imported reformed chicken, bags of cheap mayo made with battery eggs and a bunch of other flavour enhancing E numbers. Critically though, zero love and very little time. 

Coronation chicken sandwiches taste better when they're filled with love and they've been given a little time. The money isn't important, the ethics, the quality, the thought and consideration are the reason this was the best Coronation chicken sandwich ever. On my first Father's day, I'm looking at this sandwich and realising it represents choices have as a parent. I can cut corners (excuse the pun), feed the boys any old filth, just for convenience because I'm too busy watching TV, working, focussed on my overheads, or just too expectant of their mother to add some love to their lives. Or, I can make sure they eat MY Coronation Chicken sandwiches everyday, in whatever guise they form themselves in. The creation of time is one of the most simple, but often unachieved acts a father can offer his offspring. 

This is the first Father's day I can ever remember being actively involved in, bar visiting my granddad with my mum. I have no memory of ever celebrating my dad's special day. Hardly surprising, he was a shit dad. He didn't find time, he didn't spread love, he spread misery and lies and deceit. The one thing I can really thank him for is that I know how not to treat my kids. I’ve had a great lesson in how to abandon your family, steal from and cheat on their mother and generally appear not to have any regrets. My granddad was my hero when I was a lad, he was more of a father to me than my dad could ever have been. This is why we chose George as Felix’ middle name, it was granddads middle name. My middle name is Charles, the same as my dad’s was.

Dark? Nah, not at all. I have absolutely no regrets about not making it up to him before he died. He was dead to me a long time before he physically passed away. I was a better son and brother the second I decided to leave him behind in the gutter and follow my own path. Today I sit here, proud, confident and so full of optimism for the future of my family. I know what not to do, but more importantly, I believe I know what I need to do to be the best dad I can be. Love and Time, the 2 critical ingredients in my Coronation Chicken Sandwich Family Philosophy…

Happy Fathers day Granddad...

One Love

Jez

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