Watch the video at the end of this article.
Introduction
Michael talked about his own childhood and his relationship with his father, becoming emotional at one point while talking about how important the little things were in life and that all he ever wanted was his father to say he loved him. He talked about one happy moment between him and his father.
“I remember once when I was about four years old, there was a little carnival and he picked me up and put me on a pony. It was a tiny gesture, probably something he forgot five minutes later. But because of that moment I have this special place in my heart for him. Because that’s how kids are, the little things mean so much to them and for me, that one moment meant everything.”
But Michael told the gathering that he had come to understand his father, possibly more so after becoming a father himself. He had thought hard and long of the struggles his father had faced raising his family and why he had displayed a tough exterior. He came to realise that his father loved him, although he never said it.
“There were little things that showed it. When I was a kid I had a real sweet tooth, we all did. My favourite food was glazed doughnuts and my father knew that. So every few weeks I would come downstairs in the morning and there on the kitchen counter was a bag of glazed doughnuts, no note, no explanation just the doughnuts. It was like Santa Claus.”