#788 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Saturday November 4) Special Musing on Brad (originally intended December 13)
Good morning,
Brad died six years ago today. There is not a day I don’t think of him. There is not a day when I don’t see his face in my mind. In some sense he has never left.
I see Brad every day, at different stages in his life and our relationship. Mostly I see him reading books and discussing ideas. Sometimes I see him onstage singing and smiling from ear-to-ear. Other times, we’re at the comic book store, talking to the salesman about the detailed origin stories of every character. Other times he’s in elementary school playing football, or working on debate or going to the movies or playing with Cocoa.
Then there are the times when I go back to Brad as a toddler and, before that, as a newborn the day he and Lauren arrived. And in those priceless moments after Lauren and Brad came and changed our lives, my father and mother are there—proud and involved grandparents
In the movie Arrival, the lead character, played by Amy Adams, is presented with the question that, if you knew you would have a child, raise them and then live through their dying young, would you still want to go through it again?
The answer is yes, of course. I got to be Brad’s father, friend, and confidante for nearly 22 years. No one else experienced the singular pleasure of that relationship. It wasn’t enough time but, then again, when is it ever enough? Brad never lived long enough to change the world. But he changed mine. What a gift.
Have a great day,
Glenn
We are deeply touched by your heartfelt and beautiful musing today. Thank you for sharing.
Oh Glenn: I am so moved by this, your reminder (in these particularly dark times) that the light that emanated from Brad's very existence continues to shine in these memories. You help us all deal with loss.