Life Is But A Drink

My dad passed away two years ago today.  Two years.  It’s strange because it seems like it was just yesterday.  But then it also seems like it was forever ago.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I started talking about the fact that the anniversary of his death was coming up.  And I’m guessing our son overheard some of these conversations.  Because a couple of weeks ago, as we were visiting some friends, he started crying and told us that he didn’t want to die.  It was pretty intense.  He was very upset.  There wasn’t much to say except that we loved him and we understand and death was indeed scary.  I didn’t expect him to start having an existential crisis at the age of 5, but I also didn’t expect for him to be exposed to so much death in his first years of life.  Especially people like my dad who meant to much to him.

Death sucks.  I kinda hate you, Death.

The photo was taken just a few years before my dad’s death.  My mom and him went on an around-the-world cruise.  The traveled a lot during those final years after he got sick.  He hadn’t traveled much before because there was work and life and what seemed like plenty of time, I guess.  I’m glad he was able to cram as much of it as he could into those final years when time was running out.

This photo is one of my favorites of him.  Not only becuase it is simply a beautiful photo and because it was taken towards the end of his life.  But because it looks a bit like he was ready.  Ready to tackle whatever was to come next.

And I like to think that was the case, although I’m not sure that it was.  Because who is ever really ready.

I miss you, Dad.

My kids take a bath a few times per week (we’re not cut from the kids-must-take-a-bath-every-day cloth) and they are still young enough that they take their baths together.  They love to play together with all of their toys in the bath - until their fingers wrinkle and the bath water is tepid and they’ve gigled themselves silly. 

I’ve always found bath time to be so sweet and simple.  And, as my kids sit in the tub playing with soapy hair, I picture millions of kids – at different times, in different places – playing in the bath tub with the same collection of cheap plastic squirters and boats and buckets, and it makes me smile.  Usually, while I sit on my little stool outside the bath tub and watch them play, I relax.  I forget – if even for just a moment – about the pots and pans that are still sitting in the kitchen sink or the laundry in the dryer or the pile of bills next to the computer that still need to be paid.

So, this is my little ode to bath time.  Enjoy.  

Last night, after the kids’ bath, I grabbed my phone and wandered around the house to snap a few photos.  So, my friends, this is a little snapshot of what was going on in my house at around 7:45 PM last night.  (Can you contain your excitement?)

My daughter was coloring on the floor of the kitchen because, well, why not?  She’d also pulled out some winter gloves (do you see them lying on the floor off to the right?).  She’d started out coloring with them on and then decided it was just too difficult, and flung them off to the side with disdain.

My son practiced the piano with my hubby.  As a result, he got to move a little magnet up to Tuesday (see here) and was pretty pleased with himself.

And, then, there was Eco.  Begging for attention with that goofy little grin of his.  Being all sorts of silly, as always.  Posing for the camera.  In my way.  In everyone’s way.  Crazy dog.