"It is our Job as Parents to Prepare You for Life" - Jim McCrae

James (Jim, as he preferred to be called) McCrae was born on the 21st of July, 1939, in Aberdeen, Scotland. Just weeks after his birth, WW2 began. Dad's early childhood included bombing and rationing, and even after the war, his childhood was not a pleasant one. He watched a friend die at five, his brother die at ten, and his mum die at eighteen. He also lived with a father who was distant and abusive.

At the age of 18, Dad put all that behind him and joined the army. In this setting he thrived and he became the youngest Warrant Officer in the history of the British Army and served four years in Singapore and eight in Germany.

Dad left the army and entered insurance, becoming the top salesman in his company. In his forties, Dad discovered that he was a spiritual healer and trained as a hypnotherapist.

In his fifties, Dad embarked on a new adventure, having me at age 53, and I benefited from all that life experience and wisdom he had accumulated. He taught me everything he knew for the next twenty-two years, before he was diagnosed with terminal cancer on the 24th of December, 2014. He faced the next eight months with acceptance, peace and courage before passing on the 24th of July, 2015.