49 Days
A few entries (and about three months ago) I decided to leave the program in Japan so I could be with my family, take care of my dad who had had bypass surgery in January. He ended up passing away about a week after I got home. It was sudden, unexpected, and, predictably, sad.
While cleaning out his room (which consisted of dozens of cardboard boxes marked "Important Stuff" in Vietnamese), I rediscovered tons of baby pictures, and an extensive archive of my parents' entrepreneurial endeavors from Houston to West Chester to Seattle. I also found evidence that Mom had been arrested and bailed out for $800 in the 80's (Mom says the police were mistaken), that they were sued by their business neighbors in the 90's (Mom says the neighbors settled because they were in the wrong), and that they got more mail than they could open in the 2000's.
I found pictures of my dad's family in Vietnam, and at least three boxes of unsorted family photos. I have put together about four photo albums, brought two big bags of papers to be shredded, given away three boxes of clothes, and prepared at least thirty strings of Christmas lights and fifty glass ornaments for storage. Dad really liked pictures, papers, fine clothing, and really, really, really liked Christmas.
His birthday was a few weeks later; we had a steak dinner and Dad's other favorite foods. He would have been 68. Today is the 49th day after his death; there is a special mass and lots of food for the friends and family that have gathered. Some Buddhists mark the 49th day as the length of time it takes to reincarnate; the Catholic priest said it is a day the spirit revisits Home. Either way, it's supposed to mark the end of the mourning period; strangely, I think there has been so much activity and business to tend to since his death, I'm not sure the mourning has truly begun. . . .
Lots of people came from everywhere, and we learned a lot about him through peoples' stories and especially about his contributions to his church community, with the huge outpouring which came from there.
While cleaning out his room (which consisted of dozens of cardboard boxes marked "Important Stuff" in Vietnamese), I rediscovered tons of baby pictures, and an extensive archive of my parents' entrepreneurial endeavors from Houston to West Chester to Seattle. I also found evidence that Mom had been arrested and bailed out for $800 in the 80's (Mom says the police were mistaken), that they were sued by their business neighbors in the 90's (Mom says the neighbors settled because they were in the wrong), and that they got more mail than they could open in the 2000's.
I found pictures of my dad's family in Vietnam, and at least three boxes of unsorted family photos. I have put together about four photo albums, brought two big bags of papers to be shredded, given away three boxes of clothes, and prepared at least thirty strings of Christmas lights and fifty glass ornaments for storage. Dad really liked pictures, papers, fine clothing, and really, really, really liked Christmas.
His birthday was a few weeks later; we had a steak dinner and Dad's other favorite foods. He would have been 68. Today is the 49th day after his death; there is a special mass and lots of food for the friends and family that have gathered. Some Buddhists mark the 49th day as the length of time it takes to reincarnate; the Catholic priest said it is a day the spirit revisits Home. Either way, it's supposed to mark the end of the mourning period; strangely, I think there has been so much activity and business to tend to since his death, I'm not sure the mourning has truly begun. . . .
Comments
I know I've never met your father, but I'm sure if he was anything like you, his heart was full of passion and love for everything and everyone around him.