My father's brother - my Uncle Dirk has passed away this past week. I really wanted to fly down for the memorial, but I thought it would be weird to pop in out of nowhere. Most of my extended family hasn't seen me in many years. Then there would be the awkward time to reintroduce myself and visiting at a time when grief and memories of an Uncle I don't have a lot of memories of should be the focus. Fortunately I have a cousin I remember as Bert who is gifted with the camera who taped the service and posted it to our cousins page on Facebook.
The memorial struck me for a couple of reasons. One, Uncle Dirk had a close and life long friend who did a beautiful job of recounting their special and incredible friendship. His memorial was so vivid I felt I came to know Uncle Dirk in a special way through the eyes of a dear friend.
There was something else that moved me. While I listened to the service and saw the faces of loved ones that emerge from behind the sands of time something about my father came forward. Hearing the stories framed a side of my father I had never seen or had forgotten about. The family that surrounded him and made him who he was.
Who my father was was definitely misunderstood by me. I didn't have his brothers and sisters and their friends as a frame of reference. That reference has helped me understand that my father's dreams and tears were shared in some way by his family and ultimately his mother and father. You can see Oma and Opa's fingerprints not only on everyone that I recognize in the video, but everyone I hold dear here in Alberta and ultimately in myself.
I am so very grateful to have this connection through my cousins. I don't want to get too emotional on people I don't know too well, but I have to say they have re-written for me some memories of my father and who he was.
Thank you.
The memorial struck me for a couple of reasons. One, Uncle Dirk had a close and life long friend who did a beautiful job of recounting their special and incredible friendship. His memorial was so vivid I felt I came to know Uncle Dirk in a special way through the eyes of a dear friend.
There was something else that moved me. While I listened to the service and saw the faces of loved ones that emerge from behind the sands of time something about my father came forward. Hearing the stories framed a side of my father I had never seen or had forgotten about. The family that surrounded him and made him who he was.
Who my father was was definitely misunderstood by me. I didn't have his brothers and sisters and their friends as a frame of reference. That reference has helped me understand that my father's dreams and tears were shared in some way by his family and ultimately his mother and father. You can see Oma and Opa's fingerprints not only on everyone that I recognize in the video, but everyone I hold dear here in Alberta and ultimately in myself.
I am so very grateful to have this connection through my cousins. I don't want to get too emotional on people I don't know too well, but I have to say they have re-written for me some memories of my father and who he was.
Thank you.
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