Once again, our time in New England provided the joy, contentment and spirit that only family can provide. A particularly busy social calendar - picnics, pool parties, birthday parties, reunions,Little League, a trip to San Francsico, an extended visit from Amy - shined on the parade that is my life.
And, I fell in love!
Olive, you are so cute; Cocoa, you are adorable.
Duh...life is good.
Still, there was loss; there was rain on my parade.
I lost a nephew, too young. John crammed 70 years of life into the 40 years he was on the face of this earth. Too bad he couldn't have spread it out much, much longer. Bigger than life; perhaps too big. You will be missed.
I lost a brother-in-law, a friend, a mentor. But I maintain the wisdom gained just from having the privilege of being witness to his life. I know I am a better person, especially a better father and grandfather, when I ask myself this simple question: WWJD?
What would Jim do?
I was a rabid spectator of a loss of innocence.
For the first time, Miles's Little League games had winners....and losers. Games previously played for shear joy, were marred by anxiety, angst, terror, tears. It's seldom pretty when the real world invades the fantasy of childhood.
This is the point in the narrative when I suppose I should reflect on the losses mentioned and confirm that only life matters, and baseball is really just a game.
Unfortunately, I can't do that.
I turned on my computer at 4 this morning to check out the Giants box score. Sick.
I live and die with the Giants; no apologies.
We all have things, people, causes, we love, we are passionate about. The more passion, the more pain of loss. Once again..duh.
Props to Al Tennyson; he knew.
John, Jim, - I have loved and I have lost.
(Go Giants.......)
