My cousin, Lynne, called last night to tell me her father died in his sleep this week. My Uncle Earl...a Veternarian, a gentle man. I had very little contact with him in the past 30 years. He was married to my mom's identical twin for 25 years. They divorced when my cousin was in Jr. High, I think. The last time we spoke was following Hurricane Katrina..I was desperately trying to get information about Lynne. She lives in Gautier, Mississippi - an area devastated by the storm...anyway....as a child I remember this...
... loving the smell of pipe tobacco when I visited my cousins. Their house always smelled of homemade bread and pipe tobacco. I wish I had more memories...my mother had 3 sisters...all of my Uncles are now gone...Uncle Bob...Uncle Ben and now Uncle Earl. Three very different men. All were fathers...I tried to comfort Lynne when we spoke.
Losing a father is hard to describe....it can be like losing a safety net. I know when my father was alive, there was a certain comfort in knowing that he was there....just in case.....just in case I really goofed something up....just in case I needed advice that only a father can give....just in case I needed the wisdom that comes with age...just in case...when you lose your father...it helps to have the love of our Heavenly Father...a love that never ends...a Father who is always there...just in case.
Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Philippians, 4. 8
Philippians, 4. 8
Friday, February 8, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Time for a group hug
5 years ago, I never even thought about life without my dad, or mom for that matter. I guess I figured that they would always just be here. Then, we lost my grandparents (within 6 months of each other) and I watched my dad struggle with with reality of their absence. It hit me like a ton of bricks that someday, it will be me who loses my mom or my dad. That realization has made me appreciate every minute I have with them. I never hang up the phone in a hurry. I have been so blessed with parents who are also my very best friends.
DeeDee, I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for posting.
Now I'm gonna go call my Dad......
Karen, we are all the same in that respect....at some point in your life it dawns on you that one day your parents will be gone. Cherish the moments...call often...send notes...handwritten ones and encourage your mom to do that, too...especially since you now live so far apart. I have a whole notebook of letters that my mother wrote to me over the many years we lived apart...some days...when I'm missing her...I take out the notebook and spend some time with her. I can hear her voice jump off the page. I can remember her smile, her quick wit...and all that made her uniquely Lucile Schumacher. I am so thankful for times we shared...I am so thankful for the many years that God allowed them to live on this earth and create memories for me. I still miss my mom and dad...but I no longer pick up the phone when I have something I want to share...that was a hard habit to break.
It's funny how quickly we have gotten away from sending handwritten letters and notes. As much as I enjoy reading emails from family and friends, nothing beats going to the mailbox and finding an envelope with handwriting that you recognize even before you open it. I have some letters from my grandmother, one that she wrote for my high school graduation and those are so special. Mom and I will have to try harder to do that.
I'll go first.....
karen, i totally agree with the handwritten note. my mom is very good about writing notes to her friends and family. i do always sift through the mail looking for a letter that has the address handwritten...they are few and far between.
well you girls should start it up again. Honestly...it is a LOST ART.
I found some letters my Dad wrote to HIS GRANDMOTHER while he was in the service ( WWII)...talk about tear jerkers. It's difficult to think of him as a 20 year old in a war. His letters to his "Mema" were so touching. She saved them and now I have them. There's something so personal about a handwritten note.
Post a Comment