Sorry that this website has been down. It’s back. I had technical trouble with PHP versions and things like that. When Linux OS versions deprecate and need to be updated, PHP and WordPress need to be updated and kept in sync. It’s a lot of work to keep a website updated over the years. Now we’re back.
Today is David’s birthday, and he would have been 55. What would it be like to see him at 55? I can only see him in my mind’s eye when he was in his 40s.
A lot has happened that hasn’t been updated here. DeDe’s mom has passed away, DeDe’s dad has passed away, my mom has passed away, David/DeDe/Luke/Ryan’s dog, Critter, has passed away. All rites of passage, very sad, and life changing.
DeDe’s mom, Linda, was very special to me. I could tell her anything. She was like a second mom. She would never judge, always say something appropriate and comforting. Always seeing the happy side of anything difficult.
Linda had three short stores: Tom the Turkey, Grumpy the Goldminer, Marissa the Troll. Her granddaughter Bailey might illustrate them. I had a note about Narios Tails from her, if anybody remembers what that means.
DeDe’s dad, Andy, was a big teddy bear, ran the grill on 4th of July, loved cooking sweetbreads at a cookout, and was very dedicated to his family and grandkids. Ryan looked a lot like him and took after him. Ryan was smart and witty.
My mom was ever loving, ever accepting and never stopped advocating for her kids. My dad and I were joking the other day that she’s probably bending God’s ear right now to get him to do something for us.
Critter lived a good life with my dad. He liked to follow dad around the house to see what he’s doing. They went on daily walks. Critter was loving and a big dog. I remember my daughter threw a chew toy over the large dining room table and critter easily went OVER the table to get it.
That’s about all. I understand more about David now. It’s private. I understand more about myself now too. I studied Greek philosophers in college. Socrates said to ‘know thyself.’ Ok, now I’m a little closer.
I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to accept the death of the family. It’s hard to process. Especially the young lives cut short. Hardest is the things that were set aside for them. Photos. Invaluable memories. Things that should be kept, and passed down to their generations. Linda and the family dealt with the items as much as they could. There was a house full of things. As far as future generations, there are no direct descendants to pass these things to. It’s extremely odd and sad.