‘The Postman Always Knocks Twice’

Dedication

To my late mother, Maureen Forde
 
Born 24th January 1922
 
Died 26th April 1986

I was born the oldest child of seven to my Irish parents n the Village of Portlaw, County Waterford in 1942. As a young child growing up, never a day passed when my mother failed to tell me that 'I was special'. My mother told me that when she was barely a few months pregnant with her firstborn (me), a travelling gypsy read her palm for a small silver coin. The Romany told her that she was with child and would give birth to seven children. The Romany was also said to have told my mother that her first child would be a 'special child'. Being told by my mother daily throughout my childhood, that I was born 'a special child', I naturally always felt 'special'. Indeed, every success I had, each insurmountable obstacle I ever overcame, anything good that happened to me as I grew was because 'I was special'. Thus my 'special nature' had been foretold to my mother by a peg-selling Romany before my birth for the price of sixpence, and everything that happened for the good or the pleasurably unexpected thereafter, occurred because of I had been decreed by fate to be 'a special child'. For the first twenty-five years of my life I believed that I was 'special'. I still believe that I am special but the latter half of my life has been spent discovering that every child ever born is also 'a special child'. I have spent most of my adult working life through the variety of jobs I have held, and particularly the last forty-five years, telling everyone I meet 'how special they are' too. 

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