My Dad

My dad loved order and he loved keeping his affairs in order.  He paid his phone and cable bills the minute they came in and he called the credit card company daily, kept track of every charge and had a check in the mail days before the actual bill arrived.  His rent was sent in on the first of the month even though there was no problem as long as payment was in by the 10th.  The first line of his will stipulated that all his debts be paid immediately upon his death.

Because of this I ordered the foot marker for his grave early on.  I contacted the government and made sure he got a veteran's plaque for the stone.  He earned it.  He served as a medic on the front line in Germany and France during WW II.

The cemetery where dad is buried has a nine month waiting period between burial and stone setting, something about the ground having to settle.  Well, the nine months passed and the stone is set.  The ivy has been planted.  Sunday was his unveiling.  (We uncover the stone and say some prayers.)  My dad was not a showy person so we kept the gathering small.  We prayed and cried and then went to a nearby diner to celebrate his life.  (Usually unveilings happen closer to a year from death.)

I still go say Kaddish (prayer for one who has died) several times a week.  There is no requirement for females to do this, but there is no one else.  I know some people hire a man to do this, but that doesn't feel right to me.  I can't do the required twice a day and I can't go every day, but I do the best I can.  It makes me feel good.  My dad wasn't overly religious but I like to think he would be proud of what I am doing for him as he was when I did same for my mom.

It is almost 10 months.  I know he is in a better place.  I still have the urge to call him all the time.  I still miss him.