In days gone by I used to ponder upon what exactly the purpose has been to my life.

Working in a television station is hardly what you might call an essential contribution to the progress of Mankind?

I have hardly set the world of literature on fire?

Would the world be any better or worse if I had never existed?

But then it struck me.  Of course I have contributed.  I have contributed in the best way possible.

Without me, there never would have been a K8 the GR8!  And there never would have been three lovely grandkids – Laughingboy, Puppychild and Sir Fartzalott.

I am immensely proud of our K8.  Not content with looking after a semi-disabled husband, a wheelchair bound son and two other boisterous kids, she has taken upon herself to start a new career – she is studying to become a Paramedic.

I'm not too sure of the finer points, but becoming a paramedic seems to be a lot of very hard work.  It involves training, loads of work experience [she has attended tons more football matches than I ever did] and a whole series of exams.  She has done twelve hour shifts in hospitals and a massive amount of study.

She had a biggie exam this week.  Again, don't ask me what exam it is but she had been nervous about it as it is an important one.  She even had to head across country to sit it, over in Galway.

I got a text from her this morning.

She passed.

If I have achieved nothing else in life, I have a daughter in whom I am very proud.

Good on ya, K8!