My Father Passed Away
After my Grandmother’s funeral on Friday, my father had a massive heart attack and died. I’m not really sure what else to say about it. It just came as a shock. The only good news I have is that I have no regrets with my father. Nothing I wished I had told him before he passed on. He got to visit us a few weeks ago and he was surrounded by family when he died. Also, it was quick. I am very grateful for our relationship and that there was nothing left unsaid, probably a benefit of a balanced life. If you are estranged from family members, take the time this Christmas to make amends, even if they are the ones who wronged you. Nothing is more disappointing than losing the chance to reconcile with a family member.
Posted: December 22nd, 2008 under Family.
Comments: 1
Saturday evening I received a phone call telling me that my grandmother had passed away. She was 89 and still self-sufficient for the most part. I will miss her, but I’m glad for the time I had with her. I called every pretty much every week and did so the Sunday before she passed, so I’m glad for that. I had also sent her pictures of the kids a few weeks ago so she saw those as well. Overall she passed quickly and her quality of life was still pretty high. She was an amazing lady and I’m a better person thanks to her. 
Amy and I were talking the other day about our favorite Christmas memories from when we were kids. We wanted to make sure that we were providing the opportunity for our kids to have similar memories and that they will cherish the holidays as much as we do. As Amy and I talked, we realized that what we enjoyed most and remembered the most were the traditions and family time. Our family opened one present on Christmas Eve and I remembered always trying to pick out the perfect gift. I remember being at my Grandmother’s house and lying in my bed trying to get to sleep knowing that Santa would be coming soon. I remembered always making a paper chain with one link for each day until Christmas. What was not typically a cherished memory were the actual presents we received. 
As I’ve mentioned before, I love playing boardgames. This Christmas, I’m trying to encourage all of the parents I know to pick up a boardgame or two for presents and create a boardgame night once a month with their family. Why? Because of the true community effect of boardgames. This is true together time with the family and leads to memorable times and possibly even bonding moments. The kids can still get video games and portable music players for Christmas, but why not add some family time in a wrapped package. 
My wife and I watched “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” the other night and were pleasantly surprised. It was a fun movie and I liked Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer in it. At one point, Robert Downey Jr. wonders what it is about LA where all the girls there have Daddy issues. That theme follows through the rest of the movie as well. Coincidentally, Amy asked me to read Captivating, which is the female version of Wild at Heart and deals with women and what makes them female. I’m reading this book about all these women who had dysfunctional relationships with their father and the repercussions of that later in their life.