Dreams, sometimes they mean something, sometimes they don’t.
Sometimes the message is personal, sometimes it has a broader application.
I had a dream about Dad last night.
First one in a long time, actually, I can’t remember the last time I had a dream about him since he passed.
This one wasn’t about past memories. It was about current time.
He was beautiful to see, tall and healthy.
Visiting with friends.
Happy.
Gave me a big hug.
There were no tears, only smiles.
He was getting ready to tell me something, and I woke up.
I wish I hadn’t…
I wanted to do something special to mark the one year anniversary of Dad’s death. Going out to the cabin seemed like the most appropriate but with my schedule this week I couldn’t make that work. So I planned a cook-out at Captain Cook Discovery Picnic area. We had a fire and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. The sky was clear, just a bit hazy across the inlet. The tide was coming in.
Reflections
The kids got to play and roam around exploring. We took quite a few pictures!
We enjoyed a fire, a hot meal cooked over an open flame, and then for the grown-ups, an extra special treat:
Rhubarb wine
Jake gave us a special gift, a bottle of Dad’s rhubarb wine. Dad had spent time showing Jake how to make his famous wine and Jake still had a few bottles, so he gave us one. It was the perfect toast!
A very fizzy rhubarb wine!
The sunset was beautiful. A perfect ending.
“Life has to end, she said. Love doesn’t.”
~Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet In Heaven
Over the past year I have had several new “first” experiences… Father’s Day. Dad’s first birthday after his death. My first birthday. The first Thanksgiving… so on and so forth. I thought to myself the other day, wow, a whole year has passed, the “last” first is coming up. But will it truly be the last first? I doubt it. I am sure my life has other new and exciting experiences to offer me, things that I would surely have shared with Dad, if he were still here to hear about them, or participate in them.
I am sure this wont be the last “first”… but it is a momentous one.
The one year anniversary of Dad’s death.
Remembering the man that we loved… and always will.
Photo credit: Tim Stringer
The wreath that the kids and I put together. Little Bit helped me mostly.
The little flag is a memo book so if anyone stops by, they can leave a few words if they would like. Dad’s picture is in the frame Little Bit painted for him. The pewter star is about Grandfathers.
The cabin door and wreath.
Watch the video tribute from Dad’s memorial last April: CNW Memorial
And for a good laugh, here’s Dad singing karaoke: Chuck Sings
It is that time of year to remember and acknowledge the sacrifice and service of our Veterans. Remember, Veteran’s Day is meant to honor the living vets in our lives, and those who did not die during service (Memorial Day is for Vets who died in service to our country.) Our town has an avenue of flags down the highway as is popular in many communities across our nation. There are a large number of veterans in Alaska. Both of my vets are gone now, my Grandpa and Dad. Grandpa served during WWII as a forward scout and Dad served in the heavy artillery division in the Vietnam conflict.
Dad
The fact that both of them survived their very close calls is nothing less than a miracle. Grandpa took gunshots in the midsection. I remember seeing all those bullet hole scars in his abdomen as a child and asking him what they were, he always told us grand-kids that they were extra belly buttons. Talking about their war experiences was difficult for both of them. War is hell. There is no other way to describe it.
Grandpa
There’s nothing glamorous about war. It changes people’s lives, for multiple generations. I look forward to the day when we have no more need for war. Even so, I am so grateful for the honorable service both of these men offered their country. I am even more grateful that they came home. They were scared, but not cowards, they did their “duty”, and they were changed forever for it. Their war experiences were passed down to the second and third generations, through the various ways that war changed them, it changed us.
Alaska on my mind... 