I love this picture! Of course I think my Dad is the best looking :) He is on the back row, 5th from the left. I have always remembered his motto from his rugby playing days. "The bigger they are, the faster I run."
Here is super story and memory!
This past May when I went to England to visit my parents I flew from Salt Lake City, UT to Atlanta GA. I cannot tell you how excited I was for this trip. Neither one of them knew I was going. I wanted to completely surprise them. It was my Mom's 70th birthday and although she doesn't like it when I tell people this, I do! I am so proud of how she looks for her age.
I was in the Atlanta airport catching my connecting flight to Manchester when I took a seat at the gate. I heard this guy chatting with his wife and as soon as he had finished the call, I said to him "It is so nice to hear that British accent". He told me he was from Bradford and had been on a business trip and was heading home. He told me the one thing he missed whilst on his business trips was Rugby League. Oh boy did this get me interested.
I told him that my Dad always said that when he visited us. I also told him my Dad used to play for Hull Kingston Rovers. The guy asked me what my Dad's name was and I proudly told him "John Sims". With a grin on his face, the guy said "I know Johnny Sims. He was the fastest man on the field. He ran like lightning!" I was so shocked to think that all these many miles away from home, I ran into a guy who KNEW my Dad. He was sorry to hear of his illness and said he would mention him on the radio. This guy used to play for Bradford Northern and was now a commentator for the radio station in Bradford.
He mentioned many familiar names to me such as Len Casey, Roger Millward, Flash Flannigan and Steve McNamara.
I personally don't believe in co-incidences. I believe 'things happen for a reason'. Although I don't fully understand the reason why my Dad has had to suffer now or why he has to continue to suffer like he is, I know it is for a reason. A reason that God knows and that reason, whatever it may be .......is good enough for me.
1 comment:
Maxine,
Apart from your dad, the only people I recognise on the picture are Arthur Mullins and Terry Devonshire. If I recall correctly, Terry committed the unpardonable sin, and went on to play for Hull FC. Arthur stayed with Rovers, but played mostly in the reserve team with occasional games for the first team. He used to live just off Portobello Street in Hull, and I knew him quite well.
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