This past Monday April 4 has been one year since our dad passed away. That date landed on Easter Sunday in 2010. Easter is to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus but for me and my family it was the day dad left this world peacefully in his rocking chair at home. I think everyone would agree that passing away quickly without much pain is the ideal way when it's their turn to go. In addition to being a holy day for those in the Christian world it was also the day when my mom and I arrived back from Boston after paying our respect to my brother Eddie who is buried there. He passed away on November 27, 2005. Having come back from griefing for one loved one and then dealing with the drama and loss of another in the family was like a bad hallucination. You're in a daze and you can't believe this is happening to me, to my mother, and to my youngest brother. Everything was in a tailspin with trying to revive him, dealing with paramedics and police, the emergency room, confirmation of his death and finally spending quiet moments with him in the curtained off room in the trauma unit. It was a like an episode in a soap opera. There are times when I'm alone and my thoughts are deep they would trail to my dad and to my brother Eddie and how they are no longer with us. It's still unbelievable. Other thoughts are would I see them again and how much smaller our former family of five has become and that we three need to strengthen our ties even more by being there for each other and making sure all is well. The pain of losing a loved one never goes away instead you gradually adjust your life around it in order to move on.
Dad, we love you and miss your presence. Just as I tell Eddie in my quiet time home is where the heart is so dad you know you are never closed off from us. Oh, please give Eddie a big hug for us it's his birthday tomorrow!