My father passed away yesterday; he died of lung cancer and died
young (age 59). He got the diagnosis in late June and went very
rapidly. I thought about whether or not it was appropriate for me to be
posting something so personal on this blog, but decided that I’d really
love for something positive to come of his passing. If you haven’t
heard already, fiber artist Virginia Spiegel is heading an effort among
fiber artists and fiber art collectors to raise funds for the American
Cancer Society with Fiberart for a Cause (FFAC).
With the help of hundreds of fiber artists, she’s raised $53,000 so far
and is shooting for a goal of $100,000 by the close of the year. To
find out more about what you can do, click here.
So many of us (too many of us) have witnessed the loss of life taken by
cancer, a nasty, painful disease. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to triumph
over this?
Since yesterday I’ve been flooded with memories. I remember my dad
taking me to feed the ducks in San Francisco; stopping at The Nut Tree
on our way to Tahoe to people watch and eat peanuts; or at my wedding,
when just before we embarked arm-in-arm down the aisle, him telling me
a really dirty joke.
My dad has always loved the sea. Here we are in the San Juan Islands
in the 70s on the bow of his boat. I think he’s about 31 or 32 in this
picture, younger than I am now. He’s happy, healthy, and in his
element. Nothing made him more content than standing behind the helm
of a boat, looking beyond at the horizon. And not surprisingly, he
really loved the song, “Sailing” by Christopher Cross:
It's not far down to paradise
At least it's not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away
And find tranquility
The canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Believe me
Sailing
Takes me away
To where I've always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free
Bye, Dad. I’ll miss you and I hope you're at peace…