Monday, March 27, 2017
They say every picture tells a story, although I don't remember the exact story behind this photo. I can say for certain that it was not taken after a family game of SORRY! because nobody is in tears (oh how vicious that game used to get!). It may be a picture taken after we had finished ice cream that we got while out on a family bike ride, or after a family softball game played in the field across the street, or maybe after a family-friendly game of Yahtzee (a lot less tears were shed during that game). The event surrounding the photo is inconsequential, what matters to me is the smiles on our faces and the smile it put on my face when I came across this
photo. I love pictures because the best thing about them is that they never change, even when the people in it do. And that is what happened to us, we all changed, but this picture will forever remind me of a happier time before the drama of life created hurt feelings that initiated a divide among us.
I did not know my dad in the later years of his life, but his passing has still affected me, as well as my siblings. And although his physical presence is gone, his spirit lives on in each of us. His quick-witted, sarcastic sense of humor is possessed by each of his children. I blame his competitiveness on my determination to crush any child foolish enough to challenge me to a game of CandyLand. We have all have a zest for life and love putting smiles on the faces of others. I love and cherish
each of these qualities we all possess, but there is one trait I could have done without, and that was my dad's ability to be stubborn to a fault. It is this trait that prevented us from trying to bridge the divide as the years went by, and it thwarted any attempt at reconciliation before his passing.
The man in this photo is the man I will remember, and the rest will be forgotten. I will remember the family game nights. I will remember the always fun-filled family vacations where days were packed with activities and cheeks hurt from smiling. I will remember the family bike rides we enjoyed at least once a week during the warm summer nights. I will remember the family rollerblading races where the entire family's competitive spirit was out in full force. I will remember the many weekends we all spent hanging out in the pool fighting over who got to jump off dad's shoulders next. I will remember the simple nights we all spent together lounging on
the couches watching TV at night. I will remember, and cherish, the many memories we made as a family that are too numerous to list here.
Life brings tears, smiles and memories. The tears dry, the smiles fade, but the memories last forever. Rest In Peace Dad. You may be gone, but you will never be forgotten.
