Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Dear God,

I live with a huge bank of memories. At almost any time like a finely oiled machine, a memory will move from its carefully filed existence to my current awareness. One met me early this morning.

Today is my favorite uncle's birthday. Uncle Merrill turned 86 today. I called and talked with him at 8:00 a.m. I wanted to be the first to wish him a happy day.

My uncle is my father's identical twin. He and Daddy looked alike, acted alike, drove the same kind and color of car for years, worked at the same organizations, and were in the Marine Corps together. They were witty, fun-loving, and enjoyed travel. When you saw one, you saw the other laughing and enjoying life.

As our conversation ended, Uncle Merrill said his infamous ending, "Goodbye Sweetheart." Tears filled my eyes because those were Daddy's words too and they sounded just like him. When I hung up the phone, I closed my eyes and imagined my father's smiling face before Alzheimer's robbed us. I remembered.

Thank you
for memories
that feed
my soul
with good food.

Love, Andrea