It's Sunday and if you follow me on a regular basis then you already know I'm going off track, but for many of you not as "out of the park" as it might seem. I woke up thinking about my Dad this morning. With his passing in November, things were different than when we lost Mom almost three years ago. When Dad passed away my sister and I had my parent's home to clean out. As a result, there are a lot of memory-makers throughout our house. Grieving is different for everybody, but it is a process that cannot be ignored or denied. So, every now and then there's something that triggers a flashback. This morning I want to share one of my most fun memory-driving "pieces of Dad". So, tell me what's in the picture above. Over the years I've loved a lot of Dan Steinhardt's work, often of ordinary things but photographed in a way that makes them initially unidentifiable. I might stare at an image for several minutes and then give up trying to figure out how he got the shot, or what's in the reflections of a water drop. The item above isn't photographed in any particular way, but it is abstract and yet a familiar item to everybody. Here's the backstory: Dad's Caregiver, Joan, missed that his wallet was in his pants when she did a load of wash a few months back. We were all going out to lunch together and as I walked into Dad's place, there was his soaked wallet on the kitchen table being blotted dry between a stack of paper towels. Well, Mr-Know-It-All that I am, I looked at them both and said, "Give me five minutes and I'll have your wallet dry and ready to go." I then popped it in the microwave and twenty seconds later the piece of artwork above, now proudly displayed on my desk came out. Even writing about it now still makes me laugh. Dad went into shock, then laughter until the tears rolled down his cheeks. Joan laughed the hardest, mostly thanks to my stupidity getting her off the hook. And while hesitant to even show it to him at first, I laughed until it hurt. It's a real simple point this morning about grieving and memories. We're all in the business of helping people capture memories and while many of us talk about it a lot, we're not always able to walk the talk. I miss my folks a lot, but they're around me all the time. I'm wearing Dad's watch. Sheila wears Mom's. Our home is filled with memories and if I've learned nothing else, it's to just go with the tears when they need to flow. Somehow they always lead me to the chuckles and those priceless moments, some captured on film, others just on neuro-chromes. So, if you're grieving, remember you're not alone. You don't have to keep a "stiff upper lip" for anybody and most important of all, find those moments that make you smile along with the ones that make you sad. And last on the list, never put a wet wallet in a microwave! Make it a great Sunday everybody! Hug somebody close to you. Smile as you think of the good times with somebody you've lost. Go for those eleven-second hugs whenever possible. Best of all, enjoy the day and make a few memories! Happy Sunday!
2 Comments
2/21/2016 08:34:30 am
Thanks for this, Skip! Great message, I'll definitely be sharing!
Reply
Cindy Smith
2/26/2016 07:28:05 am
Skip--what a great story! Grieving is certainly different for everyone and there is no right or wrong way to grieve. Thanks for sharing one of your special memories with your dad. May Sheila, your family and friends continue to comfort you during this difficult time in your life.
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Our Partners"Why?"Check out "Why?" one of the most popular features on the SCU Blog. It's a very simple concept - one image, one artist and one short sound bite. Each artist shares what makes the image one of their most favorite. We're over 100 artists featured since the project started. Click on the link above and you can scroll through all of the episodes to date.
Categories
All
|