I wrote this on June 15, 2019, and I never got around to posting it.
Dear Dad,
I think that this is the first letter that I have ever written you. I often wrote Mom letters when I was little, and I continued to write her when I became an adult. I still write to her now that she is in Heaven. I do not know why I have never written you a letter. It is certainly not because I do not think of you. To the contrary, I think of you often.
I am sitting in a new French restaurant in Midtown enjoying a morning coffee and crostini topped with goat cheese and dill pickles. Possibly the best crostini ever! I am going to have to make this letter more upbeat because at the moment it is really awkward for the owner of this delicious establishment that I am weeping at her bar.
I miss you. That is never going to change. There are moments when my heart absolutely aches for you. Shit, I am crying again. Life was so difficult the year that you passed away. It is not that way anymore. I have so much to tell you about.
Of the hundreds of things that I could tell you about life here, I know there is exactly one thing that you really want to hear about – your grandsons.
You have three amazing grandsons!
The newest was born last December. I am officially giving him the blog name of Hewey Bird. Hewey Bird made me an aunt!!!! I am not sure if he literally smiles every minute of the day, or if that is just when his mommy takes his picture to send to me, but as his aunt, I can tell you that he is the happiest, most beautiful nephew in the whole world. I am the authority on the matter, given that I have been an aunt for all of six months. In my heart, Hewey Bird is always smiling. My sister is an amazing mother.
Little Chirp turned 11 in March. He is so much like his mother that it scares me. He has your ears, and he shares our gift of writing. Every time that I ever drove you crazy as my parent is being paid back to me with Little Chirp. He is an obedient, rule follower, but he is not afraid to speak up when authority does not make sense. Sigh. So, this is what that is like for a parent? Little Chirp works his tail off to make all A’s. His best friends are his older brother, a really cool kid he goes to school with (blog name T-Rex), and our cat Storme.
The one thing that Little Chirp enjoys more than cooking is eating. At 11, he cooks better than most adults. He is fast. I still can’t beat him at a 5K. He loves basketball, and he is gifted in music. No idea where he got the music talent from, but I love it. The music gene is the one differentiator between me and him. Little Chirp has a huge personality, but is extremely shy. People have a hard time understanding shy extroverts.
Brainy Bird is ultimately the grandson that makes me think of you virtually every day. He is sixteen now. I think that perhaps Brainy Bird looks around at times, and while he loves his family deeply, he does not really relate to anyone. He is his own bird for sure. He is quiet; he only speaks when he has something to say, in contrast to me and Little Chirp that cannot stop talking to save our lives. Brainy Bird is incredibly intelligent, loves to read, and he is inherently curious about the world around him. He has an uncanny memory, and he dreams of being on Jeopardy. Hmmm….who does he remind you of?
Funny, when it is not football season, the only time that the television is on is to watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. Alex Trebek is still ticking, and he is still an ass at times. Brainy Bird would give you a run for your money with how many correct responses he can come up with. I see you in him all of the time.
When I post about him on Facebook, those that knew you well will often comment that Brainy Bird reminds them of you. Brainy Bird’s loyalty and commitment to honesty are exactly as you were. He values kindness and intelligence over all the material things in the world. His choice in friends and girls would really please you. Popularity makes zero sense to him, just as it made zero sense to you. He is confident in himself and understanding of others. It is as if he was born with the values that it took me half a lifetime to find.
Brainy Bird would much rather spend an evening with his family playing board games than go to a party. He likes puzzles, and he is an incredibly good computer programmer. I guess that is my one contribution to his traits. I wish that you were here. I wish that I could introduce you to his friends and their parents. I wish that you could be with us at the dinner table when he tells us about his day at work. He is teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) at a day camp. And he started his own business, developing technology solutions for small businesses. His business is taking off fast. I would love to introduce you to his clients and his employees. They are all “your type” – committed, warm blooded Americans.
The future is bright ahead. Know that your legacy lives on in your three beautiful grandsons. Know that we tell them all about you.
Give my love to Mom and Wally.
Love always,
Your daughter
