So is my mom said this weekend what is an emotionally packed weekend. We laughed together we cried together and we just loved each other. My father passed away in May of this year while me and my wife and the kids and my mother-in-law and my niece and nephew where at Disney World. and it was the last couple days we were there so I was trying to hold it together to be strong for the family but I was a mess. And we decided to hold off on the memorial until me and my brothers could get together. you see I live in Arizona one of my brothers is in Texas another Brothers on the other side of the country lives in South Carolina and my dad and my other couple Brothers live in California that's where I was born and raised.
If you don't know about my dad when I was real young he got real sick he had a mental breakdown too many things happening at once and it took a mental toll on him. And he was never quite the same. And like I said there were good times after but when you grow up and your faced with that you tend to hold on to the bad memories that becomes your reality. So all I remember my dad was he was in bed all the time and he was in outand the hospital. you know I joined the band I started playing music at a really young age I did that all through school did jazz did concert and Marching band and it was because of my dad I remember him playing the clarinet and just loving music and I did that for my dad. But since he got sick I don't ever remember him coming to any of my rehearsals or concerts or marching shows. And that's something I had to deal with.
I was asked to do a slideshow for my dad's funeral. And so I put a notice on Facebook and I asked family and friends to send me photos of dad. And after about a week and a half two weeks I got all the pictures and I could use some more but I had enough you know and I started going through them. The first week when I didnt have the photos I was asking about what music did Dad like what are some of his favorite songs and I spent probably the first two weeks listening to different music you know the same songs by different artists. I finally came up with a set and I was like this is good but I waited for the photos and once I got those I started going through them. For the next week I wasn't working on the slideshow one because I'd issues with the programs but that's another story I just would look through the photos I was having fun see my dad in different light. I've looked through about 200 photos maybe 300 that my brother my aunt and my cousin sent me.
And I just learned two things about my dad well you could say I remembered you know it was it was in there but I forgot it you know anyways. Dad was happy. He loved to laugh and he loved to tell jokes and he was a goofy guy. There's pictures of him just having fun just enjoying life and that's what life is about it's about having fun in the moment and you know just being himself. Second thing I learned was my dad's love to everyone. he loved his family he loved his hida in his uncle's he loved his grandparents. And he really love my mom you could see you there. Loved my mom and she loved him. He loved his great-grandparents he loved family and every time he got the chance he would take us to go see them. His family came from Arkansas so every so often we would take the drive to go out to Arkansas and I remember that drive I remember going out there and watching for Fourth of July fireworks in Fayetteville. It probably wasn't Fayetteville but that's the only city I know and they were near that.
No me you know I love my brothers and I love my family. I just want everyone to know you know life may take us in different directions we may grow up differently but we're still family. And I still have love for each and everyone of you. And it was so great seeing the faces I haven't seen since I was a little kid. I do love you guys I miss you all.
The following is a link to my dad's celebration of life page on Facebook. You can see the slideshow under the. discussions
https://m.facebook.com/events/2406729432895019/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%222%22%2C%22ref_dashboard_filter%22%3A%22past%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22[%7B%5C%22surface%5C%22%3A%5C%22dashboard%5C%22%2C%5C%22mechanism%5C%22%3A%5C%22main_list%5C%22%2C%5C%22extra_data%5C%22%3A[]%7D]%22%7D
