To be honest, I thought long and hard about not going. Even when Dad was living the St. Patrick's Day parade was not my favorite thing. Too many people. Too much noise. You get the idea. In the past I always talked myself into going because it was important to Dad. Today I went for the same reason.
You see, St. Patrick's Day and the day of the parade are practically High Holidays in my family. A time to get together and celebrate our heritage and the joys of being a family. It's not a holiday that requires a lot of preparation. There are no gifts to buy and wrap. No big meals to prepare. Just time to be together, have a few drinks, tell a few stories, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh.
It seems almost impossible to believe that it was only a year ago that Dad was the Honorary Grand Marshal of the parade. What a wonderful day that was for him - for all of us!
Today at the parade, Dad's AOH division included his picture on their division banner and each member wore a picture of Dad on their sash. When they reached the spot in the parade route where our family always stands, they had Mary Beth, Patti, and me come out and stand with Don, Ryan, and the rest of the group to have our picture taken behind the banner. It was a very touching tribute and further evidence of how Dad was loved by so many.
We all miss Dad terribly, but he lives on in each of us through the love that we share and the traditions we continue.
3 comments:
A wonderful tribute, TJ. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you TJ, that is just lovely. I loved Patti's shirt - very awesome.
My Love,
Aunt Paula
Aunt Paula and Michael,
Thanks for stopping by.
Yesterday was really hard for all of us. In many, many ways it was harder than Christmas and/or Thanksgiving. The parade is just so very Dad - if you know what I mean.
Of course, the fact that today is Mom's birthday probably doesn't help either.
I'm just so thankful Mary Beth, Don, Patti, and I have each other and the love of our extended family to help get us through the rough patches.
TJ
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