I downloaded the photos from Ruth’s cell phone the other day. Turns out there were 3,887. That’s about 1,300 a year since she purchased the phone. Some were copies of photos people sent her, but each was something she valued, because she spent many a car ride deleting those that didn’t measure up to her …
Piles
If Ruth hadn’t had her accident, we’d start driving tonight to Florida for the winter. We’d have spent all day today with David and his crew, and we’d be joined by Michael, Kate, and young Jackson James. Things didn’t work out that way. I’m still spending the day with the boys and their families, but …
My Elephant
If you’ve read my blogs, you know my daughter, Elizabeth, wrote and published a children’s book called The Elephant On Aaron’s Chest. It came out last February. Ruth bought the elephant pictured below for Elizabeth in celebration of the publication. It had taken several years to finish, but great things can’t be rushed. Great takes …
More Thoughts On The Matter
Note: I began this blog prior to Ruth’s passing. I’m finishing up a thought that began with the September 21, 25 and 28 blogs. The September 28th blog was ready for posting, so I sent it out after Ruth died. Mom was about ninety years old when I organized her postcards for her. I put …
The Worst Thing
Ruth and my first look at death as a married couple took place on April 30, 1979. I got a call at work in Addison from Ruth’s Aunt Casey. She told me Ruth’s dad, Lou, had a heart attack. Lou was sixty-five. Ruth and I were thirty-two. David was four, Elizabeth two, and Michael nine …
Do You Need Anything?
Back in August, Ruth and I discussed a plan to establish a scholarship fund with a portion of our annual required minimum distribution funds. Required minimum distributions (RMDs) are amounts that U.S. tax law requires one to withdraw annually from traditional IRAs and employer-sponsored retirement plans. Ruth and I began the process of withdrawing money …
The Business of Dying
My parents took a trip to Hawaii while I was working in Addison. I’m not sure of the year, but they left in the fall. I was at a conference in Dearborn just prior to the trip, so I stopped in one evening to see them. They were excited, shared some minimal trip details, and …
Something More
The day Ruth died was like any other day we shared. She was up earlier than me, so she ate early, and I ate late. We spoke like we did thousands of other retired mornings. If I wasn’t out golfing early, we talked, played a game of Euchre, and reviewed our individual days. Golf was …
Sorry For Your Loss
There’s no easy way to start this next series of blogs. I’ve struggled with the words, but none seem to work. Ruth was involved in a car accident last Tuesday evening and she died. This is the first time I’ve used the word. It’s too final. If you’ve read her obituary, you may think I …