My father died on December 20 and was buried on Dec. 23.
When I was 24, my father died on December 20 and was buried on December 23. You can imagine what Christmas was like for my family after that.
I got sick in December for six years running. Then I worked on grieving. Dad was a professional jazz trumpet player, so I bought a trumpet ornament for my Christmas tree. It became a nice brass section.
On December 23 I still light a candle in his memory. Thank him for the genetic gifts he gave me (musical talent, intelligence and humor). Forgive his hurtful criticism. Play a jazz flute solo in his honor.
Photos:
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Dad and me, age two, at Lake Michigan.
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Dad and my late brother, Lee, 14, play trumpets together.
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3 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.The loss of a parent can be tough. Both my parents at the age of 67. Funny, thing they were 12 years difference.
What part of Lake Michigan? I had a long term partner who stemmed from Detroit. Her family had a home on the shores of Little Glen Lake in sight of the Sleeping Bears sand dunes. We visited there often and the winters were sometimes tough. I remember having to adjust the TV antenna and could walk up the snow drifts along the side of the house. Of course there were lots of ice fishing cabins.
jackjr
Level 7
Dec 24, 2023
1
My great Uncle Chuck had a big house in Ludington, MI, close to Lake Michigan. I'm sure that photo was taken near Ludington. It was a short walk from his house to the beach.
Uncle Chuck was warm, welcoming and hilariously funny. He loved kids. We enjoyed two-week family vacations staying at Uncle Chuck's each summer. Arrived with two parents, four kids and Lady, our loving 100-lb. Labrador retriever Lady.
@LiterateHiker I didn't realize how big Lake Michigan was until we flew over it. At one time you could only see water and not any land.
Do you remember the Gordon Lightfoot song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"? A huge ore boat snapped in two and sank in a massive winter storm on Lake Superior, Michigan. The Edmund Fitzgerald was lost with her entire crew of 29 men on Lake Superior November 10, 1975, 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point, Michigan.
@LiterateHiker I do remember the song. It is famous. The Great Lakes are almost like oceans withour the salt.
Yes, the Great Lakes are like oceans without the salt.
I hear you with that fine line between celebrating a life and forgiving behavior, during the holidays. Mixed bag of feelings. Wanting to create new memories while letting go of sad ones.
The last time I saw my dad was Winter Solstice 1981. All my siblings gathered around his hospital bed and said our last goodbyes and then we all went to my brother's house nearby to celebrate with music and dancing, something my dad didn't really like, but we had to let loose of the stress during his terminal illness. He died Christmas morning.
Then in 1995, we last saw our mom on Christmas Eve, and she died on the day after Christmas, which is also my son's birthday. Pack a few more birthdays into the week and lots of things get overlooked during the busy holiday and travel season.
Julie808
Level 8
Dec 21, 2023
1
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