*Best translation of a beat up letter pulled from washing older unused coat written of my grandpa Theron, upon his passing. I'm not certain I ever let anyone read it) 2006.
I sat amid the swirl of my jacuzzi tonight, after a long difficult day at work, moments after learning my paternal grandfather Theron had passed away. I wasn't "unreasonably" distressed. This great man, Theron, had fullfilled for me, a priceless example of how one exits life with total grace. After a well fought hard earned life of victory, Theron left the stage right.
My most pressing thoughts, as I tried to float away my selfish aches and pains, "What personal epitaph could I possibly allow myself to consider?" This great man Theron, whose name I felt unworthy to share.
I stared at the churning waters, where in these type of quiet moments, words come much more easily to me, all seemed sadly insincere. I hadn't seen my grandfather Theron for a long, long, time. I could not remember clearly the time I last had. Did I hug him? Did I spend any extra time with him? Was I in some small way able to express to him my grateful appreciation and pride, throughout my life, as a bearer
of, not only one, but two of his names.
of, not only one, but two of his names.
What right had I, to put into word, tight quote, song or weeping poem, the life of one I respected so much and shamefully neglected to contact for so long?
So I sat and sat and sat and stared into the whipping water, when a single soap bubble seemed to twitch and draw my blurring eye. I'm not sure why, it seemed to need attention at the time. As I gazed, the bubble grew larger as it touched another smaller bubble, each instantly becoming a part of the other. No great notion or deed upon the water brought them together, no hero, villian, or king, exposed among the bunch. They were all in their rainbow unique of design but at their core the same.
It just appeared, this one now much larger bubble, seemed to hold the rest of a multitude of them together for a brief and fragile span. The bubble danced and spun and grew ever larger, melding lives with countless others in its orbit. Around my bubble, others of all shapes and sizes fell into one another dancing, expanding, spinning about sharing their all too brief lives with every other touched. It was then I knew the importance of my grandfathers great life and basically lifes mission in general.
No matter who you come in contact with, as you each give of yourself, for good or for ill, you become a part of eachother. As a result of this communion, either expanded by or detracted from, everyone takes that portion alloted and passes, at least a fraction, forward in every single subsequent contact.
I and many others are blessed by you grandpa Theron, in knowing you lived a solid life of valor that fed into my father, my uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, me and now my children. The essence of your influence and fearless desire to connect will resonate through time itself unto generations untold, as have your fathers fathers lives influenced the creation of you.
I miss you grandpa. As your singular bubble floats away, I will attempt to emulate the kindness of you and in my own spinning dance carry on.
-Hermit King-
Michael Theron Fotheringham
