End of the Line
Dad,
Yesterday would have been your birthday and as Max mentioned, there would have been pizza (Papa Pete’s) and beer but most of all, more laughter and love to go around than any of us would have known what to do with. We miss you, there isn’t a day that goes by that this isn’t true. There have been many changes around here, some of them harder to handle than others but we do our best in your absence. We try so very hard to live our lives to the fullest, some days we’re better at it than others but it is you we think of when we need that extra kick in the ass. You are, and always will be the voice inside our heads reminding us that life truly is too short and that it isn’t worth living unless we’re happy.
Your birthday always marks the start of the holiday season only because it is the first sharp reminder that you won’t be here for the festivities. Thanksgiving, you and your empty legs and fourth helpings; then Christmas, the hunt for a ‘real’ tree and the trick we’d play on Mom regarding her Christmas gift; New Years quickly follows and the sound of you firing off the shotguns in the backyard is noticeably absent. Then there’s January, such a hard (and let’s all be honest – shitty) month – there’s the day our hearts stopped, followed by the day that yours did and it ends with the day we had no other choice but to say farewell (but let’s be honest, you had a stellar funeral – all that was missing was a boat and some flaming arrows).
We miss you, we love you and we can only hope that when the end of the line (hopefully a long, long time from now) comes, you’ll be there waiting with a smile (oh that million watt smile of yours) and a hug from your skinny-ass frame (Lien butt anyone) and a beer (though let’s be honest Dad, Budweiser leaves something wanting – might I suggest another option).
All Our Love,
Eleanor