We left from Ft. Myers on Wednesday evening and arrived in
Philadelphia around mid-night. My
daughter June, who lives in Hawaii, was waiting at the airport hotel when we
arrived! June’s joining the festivities
was supposed to be a surprise, but my sister, Jane, let the cat out of the bag
when she texted me asking when June would be arriving! Up to that point I had
no idea that my daughter would be coming to spend the weekend! She had been in
Seattle on business and decided to fly to Philly to join the celebration. God
bless! What a nice thing to do!
On Thursday morning we drove to the gravesite of my mother
and father, who are interned at Whitemarsh Memorial Cemetery, in Horsham. It
was the first time for me to visit both my Mom and Dad at the cemetery, so it
was a tearful reunion. Dad died at the age of 76 in 2002 and Mom passed away at
90 years of age in 2014. I think about my parents every day and the sacrifices
they made to raise five children. If
they were still alive, I would thank them for everything they did and let them
know how much I loved them. They will always be with me in my heart.
After an emotional visit to the cemetery, we drove a
nostalgic tour of the area where I grew up.
I made arrangements to see my other set of parents, Victor and Eileen
Friscia, who are now in their 80’s and in failing health. I have been a close
friend of their daughter since high school.
I was so close to Vic and Eileen that I considered them to be my alternate
parents. I always addressed them as Mom and Dad Friscia. Their bodies are now
failing, but thankfully, their minds are as sharp as ever, so we had an
enjoyable visit. They were in their 40s when I first knew them and they are
still in the same house 49 years later! I hope I am doing as well just 20 years
from now.
I dropped Yoko and June off at Starbucks, so I could attend
a meeting with NCCN (The National Comprehensive Cancer Network) based in Ft.
Washington, PA. It turns out the NCCN’s
headquarters is just down the street from where my Dad worked! I consider it a
God wink that, here I am, 40 years later, meeting with an important cancer
organization about promoting lung cancer screening and early detection after
having just left Mom and Dad Friscia who warned me about the dangers of smoking
when I was in high school! Talk about
full circle!
I woke up at 5 AM Friday morning to a vibrating phone and
Facebook messages wishing me a happy birthday!
The messages came pouring in from all over the world literally all day
long, from people I have not seen or heard from in a very long time. It made me realize of how many friends I have
made in the many places I have lived over the years. It was nice to know so
many people bothered to send a “1” for Happy Birthday, or took time to send a
short personal message.
The highlight of the trip, however, was dinner Friday night,
hosted by my two sisters and their husbands and including myself, Yoko and
June. We ate at R2L, a high-end
restaurant on the 37th floor of a Philadelphia skyscraper
overlooking the city. We ate and laughed
and toasted throughout the night. At the
end of the evening, after desert was served, I was surprised by my daughter
June who presented me a bag full of small gifts numbered one thru nine. These were accompanied by a letter from all
three of my daughters who had written nine paragraphs about things they learned
from me over their collective 90 years. I was instructed to read the letter one
paragraph at a time and then open the accompanying gift.
It was the most thoughtful idea for a gift I have ever
received from my children. I was choked with emotion and practically speechless
as I read their touching letter. It is
every father’s dream to have children who appreciate them. To know they do so while
I am lucky enough to still be alive is extra special and very poignant.
No comments:
Post a Comment