Daddy's coming for Thanksgiving

I know I said that I probably would not get a chance to write again before the holiday, but something came up that I thought I could tell you about quickly……..OK- stop laughing. I know that every time I plan to jot down something quick I have a tendency to go on for several pages but as time is limited, I really will have to keep this brief.

Yesterday I was talking to my brother-in-law on the phone and he is depressed that the holidays are upon us, his father will not be there as he passed two weeks after my father and this past weekend, their dog died. My brother-in-law has been extremely upset over the passing of his dog- both my sister and he treated that animal better than most people treat their own children. In a way, it was like their child and my mother always jokes that she wished she had a grandchild that did not have four legs and fur. Anyway, the dog passed away unexpectedly- threw up blood all over and then passed out. My sister and brother-in-law are beside themselves with grief and I think the passing of the dog was the thing that really threw them over the edge. Oh and my brother-in-law’s grandmother also passed away at the beginning of the year but he was unable to attend the funeral as both his father and my father were very ill at the same time.

My brother-in-law has been telling me that he is so upset - the house is lonely without his dog and he can’t stand it. He is very excited to have people come fill his house and stay with him. He also could use some distractions and someone to talk to or go places with. Beyond that, it has been his routine to come home from work, call out to the dog whose name was Brooklyn and then take him for a walk, hug and kiss him and then they would nap together. Out of habit I suppose, he has been coming home each day from work calling out to the dog only for reality to hit that Brooklyn would not be answering.

The other night my brother-in-law told me that he had dream so real that he woke up with chills, goose bumps from head to toe, sweating and crying. In his dream he was sleeping in the bed when he heard the doorbell ring. He told me that his dream was so real that he thought he actually woke up so when the dream ended and he found himself still in the bed, he was freaked out. In the dream, he woke from his nap to answer the door. Upon opening it to see who was ringing the doorbell, he said my father was standing there. He told me that he looked good- he looked real good. He looked healthy, he had a head of hair- probably in his 40’s and he was thin but not emaciated or sickly looking. He was wearing a grey Member’s Only jacket and tan pants. “As usual”, my brother-in-law said, “He did not match”. After opening the door to see my father looking happy and healthy, he said, “Tony? What are you doing here? You are not supposed to be here.” To this my father replied, “Yes I am, I am coming for dinner.” My brother-in-law said, “Dinner? What do you mean dinner?” He told me that my father was holding a carton of eggs but when he opened them, they were devilled eggs. Oddly enough, my father loved eggs in any form. When my brother-in-law questioned why my father was there for dinner, my father replied, “Thanksgiving, I am coming for Thanksgiving dinner. I heard the family will all be here and I want you to know that I will be too so I hope you save me a seat at your table.”

A bit confused, my brother-in-law said, “Yeah, they are all going to be here for dinner.” Then he paused and said, “Hey Tony, can you help me? I can’t find Brooklyn- I have been looking all over but he is not here.” To this my father said, “Brooklyn is fine. He is over there playing with your father.” At this point, my brother-in-law said, “He is?” Then my father replied, “Yes- he is fine. Don’t forget to save me a spot for Thanksgiving- I will be here with the rest of the family.” Right about that time, my brother-in-law said he noticed that my father was no longer standing in the doorway and he woke up from his dream with chills. He told me that he has never had such a real dream in his entire life.

So while this may be our first Thanksgiving without my father, something tells me that he will be there to partake in the festivities after all. I just wish he were really there….I’d give anything to see him in that ugly sweater he wore year after year that we all made fun of him for.

A happy and safe holiday everyone. Safe travels to all those hitting the roads, rails and skies to visit loved ones near and far.

Until I write again….