June 21st 2015 is a Triple Whammy!

June 21, 2015 has a very bright spot! The summer begins with the solstice at 12:38 P.M. EDT and it is the longest day of the year: having the most sunlight. Summer is my favorite season. It means hot weather and sunshine. It has always signified barbecues, the shore, vacations, and fun. Nothing will change that.

I love waking up in the morning with sunshine. I love being able to go outside in the evening, and it’s still light out. I love the sounds of summer. There’s nothing like the sound of the Boardwalk on a busy Saturday night or the sound of the Ice Cream Truck playing the same song as it trolls through the neighborhood. I love the sound of fireworks and the “ooh and ahh” of the spectators. Few things say summer like the smell of suntan lotion, hamburgers cooking on a grill, and freshly popped popcorn at a local carnival! But nothing lasts forever, and sadly, the first day of summer also means that the days will begin to get shorter by one minute per day.

On another note, this June 21st is Father’s Day. Father’s Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers on our society. It’s been a bittersweet day for me since my Dad passed away in October of 2008. Over the years, I’ve had two father-in-law’s but I have not maintained relationships with either of them. Tony was my first father-in-law. I really liked him. He was a generous man who was always there to lend a helping hand. His Portuguese heritage introduced me to many seafood dishes that I would never have thought to try. Unfortunately, when his stepson and I divorced, I lost contact with him (and the entire family).

My second father-in-law, Lawrence, was completely different from my first. He was a quiet man who rarely spoke. I understand that he had his issues in the past, but he never did anything to me to make me think less of him. I kept an open mind and remained non-judgmental no matter what Mark told me about him. I was a good daughter-in-law to him (and his wife). I tried to maintain a relationship with him after Mark died, but apparently he didn’t want one. He never told me why, but I truly believe that he felt I disrespected him by honoring Mark’s final wishes. I know that Mark’s parents wanted a wake and church service, and a burial in a cemetery. That is not what Mark wanted, and he told them that on several occasions. When I honored Mark’s final wishes of being cremated and having a memorial service catered by his favorite Italian restaurant, it created a huge riff between myself and Mark’s family. Although I tried several times to reach out to him, he never responded, and I stopped trying.

Father’s Day is tough for those of us without Dads. It’s a reminder of what you had but no longer have. I now find the day to be bittersweet with fond memories of the many years with Dad. At the same time, it is a sad remembrance that he is no longer with me in this world.

But the zinger this year is that my wedding anniversary to Mark also falls on June 21st. It would have been 12 years since we got married on the cruise ship Zenith with our friends and family in attendance. After the wedding, I went on my first cruise to Bermuda and truly had the time of my life. In actuality, my true wedding date is September 28, 2002 when Mark and I eloped in Las Vegas, but it was a secret that we kept from people until we could have a real wedding. It’s hard to believe it’s been two and a half years since Mark passed away. Time. It can be measured on a clock in hours, minutes, and seconds. It can be measured on a calendar in days, weeks, months, and years. Yet I’ve never really felt it could be measured in one’s mind. It seems to get all jumbled into past, present and future.

So as this Whammy of a Day approaches, I will press forward, smile sweetly, love always, and live fully, and before I realize it, the day will be but a memory; like so many other days.

With that…

Happy Summer Solstice! Happy Father’s Day!

And…. even though I have set fire to my broken pieces and started anew,
memories and feelings never fade. With that…a silent thought…

Happy 12th Anniversary Mark!