Upon my Return

I will be accepting new items for fall and winter.
I'm going to see my family for a couple of weeks, so the shop is going to be closed. I'm going to witness my father being buried.
When he died of a terrible cancer 2 years ago he donated his body to scientific research, and that's where he's been for the last 2 years. Now that his body is returned to us, something has to be done. Even though we said our goodbyes at the time, we have to gather and see him go into the ground. It must be done.

I miss my father. He was a very present father, even from a distance. I think about him quite a bit. This is something I wrote and read in his memorial service at the time of his death:

I had a father
like no other
he smiled when he was happy
he cried when he was sad
he loved, he never hated
and now he's dead.

when I was young
he took me on many a ride
he sailed and traveled
to lands so far and wide
he never liked to sit around
he moved about the world
and then he got a little old.

he lived his life with passion
he loved his kids, he cared
he was there with every step we made
and even if he was a little pushy,
he helped us when we failed.

we're happy now that he no longer suffers
he wanted to be gone
but loved his wife, our mother, so
he held on to life, and on and on.
In time we'll grow to miss
his hands, so warm, his hugs, his kiss.

and each and every time we do
we will remember this:
he was our father
he gave us life
he loved us
and we will call each other then to say:
today aba is right here
in me, in you
and in this lovely air.