“Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day…unseen, unheard, but always near, still loved, still missed, and very dear.” —Unknown
The older we get the closer eternity seems. You never know when the sand is going to run out of the hourglass.
For our brother Michael the sand ran out when he tragically took his own life four years ago, on "All Saints Day,” observed on November 1st by the Roman Catholic Church. It was nine days before his 61st Birthday. Formerly, of Hoboken, NJ., where we grew up, he lived in Beachwood. He is survived by his beloved sons Micheal Jr., Andrew, Brock, and Alex, my sister Josephine, and brother Steve, as well as all his nieces and nephews. He was a well liked Construction Manager for Shauger Group in East Orange. In his youth he loved to play hockey, and was a proud Eagle Scout. My fondest memory of Michael is the time my brother-in-law Joseph McAllister and I invited him to join us on a camera safari in Kenya and Tanzania for a well-deserved, long overdue vacation. I never saw him so happy. Michael lived with Cecile and I in California, went to West Valley College, worked for Pella Windows for a while and later moved to San Diego. After he died our brother was cremated and our nephew Michael Jr., gave us an amulet containing some of his ashes. The one I was gifted is a silver amulet of an elephant. I keep it in my bike bag on top of my bike rack behind my so my brother Michael is always with me during my rides.
Wednesday, November 2nd, is our late mother Maria’s birthday. She passed away on Mother’s day, May 12, 2013. While Cecile and I were in New Jersey before our Fall Foliage Cruise on the Hudson River, we visited my parents, Marie and Frank's gravesite at the Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington. We laid a flowering plant at the foot of the headstone and took a photo together to mark the occasion. Mom is best remembered for her beauty, her loving presence, her sharp wit, and contagious laugh. When we were visiting family in Sicily she loved to take the red ripe fruit of a cactus plant, carefully cut the thorny skin off and eat the fruit. Seven years ago when we downsized to a townhome, I realized that I could see a grouping of cactus plants from my home office window. It was another way to keep her memory alive. Happy Birthday in Heaven mom, from all of us!
Postscript: Happy Birthday to our brother in law, Joseph McAllister seen in the photo with Michael and I during the East Africa safari we took together. While brother Michael died on All Saints Day, Joe was born on All Saints Day. The evening my brother left us, Josie, Joe, Cecile and I were near the Hudson, still in shock that the sand had run out of Michael's hourglass.
