My relationship with my father has always been more complexly private than the one with my mother.
To some extent this is sadly true for many men and their fathers, at least in patriarchal cultures. There are societal and biological pressures on men—almost from birth on—expectations that they be “real men,” constantly testing and competing with and doubting each other.
But put all that aside.
From before I can remember, this loving, gentle man showed me the real Jesus, from the pulpit, but far more profoundly as a father.
He died in his sleep on January 16, 2013.
And so it is,
Blessèd be.
Michael
4 comments On Austin: 1922-2013
Blessings to you, Michael. The emotions one has on the passing of fathers range from deep sorrows of what could have been in different times to memories of rapt joy for moments in time when we connected. We are truly products of our parents and their parenting.
Holding you in the Light and so very glad our paths crossed. My Dad lived with us the last three years of his life. I still think of him and he died in 1986…
Bless you and yours during this transition.
Dearest Brother Michael,
We each experience the passage of our parents into the home of our own future differently according to the maturity of the relationships that we have with them and I know that you were very deliberate in seeking those adult relationships with each of your parents. You were fortunate in being able to make those relationships happen with the loving gentle spirits that I knew your parents to be. I pray that God continues to bless you in all your relationships now and in the future because you deserve the same love that you chose to return to your parents.
Blessed Be,
Randy +
May the light I hold you in bless you with its warmth and vision. The loss of a father goes so deep, there’s no way I can truly describe it, except to say that after my father died, the poetry that used to flow so freely from me, seemed to have died with him. (Did I say he was a poetry lover?)
And when my husband, Gus, died, his children were impacted immensely. To say that the death of a father is a great loss is an understatement indeed.
May you find comfort in knowing that you had this kind, gentle and intelligent man for your father; may your memories of him grow ever sweeter with time; and may you embrace his qualities as they express themselves in you, knowing that he is still that close.
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