If you’ve lost someone you love so deeply that their absence leaves an indelible hole in your life, it’s hard to find enough ways to honor that person. For me, that person was my father. He had a vast life, encapsulated in the following description: Retired Superior Court judge, former U.S. Navy SEAL, war veteran, athlete, husband, father, grandfather, raconteur, “cool dude.” In a self-deprecating way, he always asked his grandchildren if he was a cool dude. It never failed to crack them up.
I didn’t take (or want) much of his when he died. I have his judicial robes (he was 6’6″, so it’s a lot), his Underwater Demolition Team 12 plaque, a few handwritten letters, and his books by Winston Churchill (yes, he read them all). We had a fantastic Memorial Service to honor and celebrate what he was passionate about.
But something I’ve continued to enjoy — and can share with anyone — is a blog that memorializes his stories. It doesn’t cost money. Anyone can do it. And while I curated what amounted to about 23 posts, people wrote notes and poems and offered anecdotes, many of which I knew vaguely, if at all. So it gave all of us a chance to learn more about other lives he touched besides ours. I only wish I’d asked more questions, taken more notes, and recorded him when he was alive.
Then again, he was a Navy SEAL. So there was a limit to what he would share.
This purpose of this brief post is less about my father, though I miss him every day, and more to share an idea you might to try for someone you love. Beware: The process elicits a lot of laughter, and even more tears. But it’s all good.
Yup, he stayed that fit until he died. Hooyah.
