Memorium - ignore if you hate schmaltz

[Hildegard]

OK, somebody beat the shit out of me for getting sentimental. My father would have been 68 years old today. He died of cancer when I was 19. My mother called me tonight, and for the first time in 22 years, she didn't mention my father. I didn't say anything, either. My sister is in Europe, and we haven't heard from her. He was only 46 when he died, and I remember at the time thinking that wasn't so young, and now I realize, damn, 46 was soooo young. Poor fellow. He really did take it like a man, though. I've always been impressed as hell by how he dealt with dying. He never said anything about it. He just took it a day at a time, got weaker, got sicker, took to bed, went to hospital, kept joking all the way, and then he died. His last words were, "I love you, honey." Jesu, mother always said he was a heartbreaker.

Well, I guess we could start a whole new blab of death-by-cancer stories, nothing special here, but I guess today's silence just kind of moved me.

I now revert to your more familiar smart-ass Hilde.

[Raincrow]

Letting the schmaltzy side of you out to run around the yard a couple of times a year makes us love the smarty-assedness part of you even more.

[gypsy]

yeah. all you hard-boiled dames got hearts of gold.

yr dad sounds like a swell guy. sorry you didn't have longer with him.

[Georgia]

You're allowed to get schmaltzy -
Even when they're quiet, they still remember- just like you did.

[SnM]

You know this of course, but

that wasn't scmaltz. there's a difference between sentiment and sentimentality. Nobody ever should be ashamed of expressing honest emotion. Made me choke up, recalled for me some friends I've lost.

I am glad you have those positive images of your father and of his way of dealing with impending death. Thank you for sharing them.

[Hi Top]

I don't think that's schmaltzy at all.

[spinetingler]

Well, I guess we could start a whole new blab of death-by-cancer stories,


I'd rather not, thanks. :)

But as long as we're talking about it, here's the great speech Jim Valvano gave at the ESPY Awards in March 1993. He died two months later.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jimvalvanoespyaward.htm

[Quince]

mother always said he was a heartbreaker.

Broke *my* heart just now, all right.

Now c'mere, Hilde, and let me beat the shit out of you.

[Hildegard]

yeah. all you hard-boiled dames got hearts of gold.

yr dad sounds like a swell guy. sorry you didn't have longer with him.

Heh. I prefer the term "crustacean with a heart of pearl." I've been accused of being very shellfish.

[mar]

Thanks for posting that. Made me cry, and that's okay, too. Monday was my mom's birthday, but she stopped having them 22 years ago as well. Dammit. Miss her every day.

[Wombat]

:(

[Raincrow]

I've been accused of being very shellfish.

'Cause you go down like an oyster?