July 18 was my father’s birthday. Were he still here, he would have been 88 today. I took a few moments this morning, to quietly commune with, and reflect about, him. I miss him, there’s no getting around that. He continues to ring my outdoor patio chimes, and he will live on, in my and my brothers’ memories.
Cleaning out my nightstand produced loads of pictures, many of them with my dad. Little snapshots in time: at camp when I was 10, various graduations, my wedding, he and my step-mom Lil with my children. It is almost incomprehensible that they are no longer here.
I do not want to get maudlin, and this is where a spiritual perspective is helpful. If they are somewhere out there, no matter how nebulous a concept that may be, then they aren’t fully gone.
With this in mind, accompanied by a strong dose of love, I wish my father a very happy 88th birthday!
Wendy Karasin - Musings of a Boomer 
Well put You bring tears to my eyes
Love you!
Wen:
I was laughing out loud when I hit the send button moments ago and immediately saw this in my inbox. You’ll see why when you read what I said about your posting (or lack thereof at the time) for July 18th.
Now that I’ve read it, very sweet and quiescent; peaceful. Excellent!
And, IMHO, as one not nearly as spiritual as you in conceptualizing life, I nonetheless believe that they – our parents in this case, though others as well – live on through our memories of them and the influence they have had on our lives in terms of the way we think/view/perceive so many things. In which case, one needn’t even resolve the question of whether there is something beyond this life to recognize that, at least in some fashion, a part of them will always ‘be’ as long as we ‘are’.
Happy Wally Day!
–RR
RR,
Very true and very wise. Thank you for your delightful post and allow me to raise a glass to your ‘Happy Wally Day’ toast! And, if I may, let us raise another tomorrow for Happy Ron Day!
Wendy