Author Archives: hdavies

Death and Taxes, Taxes on Death

Armed with proof of life for Dad (am I not the ultimate proof of life? and loss, for that matter?), we headed back to the Funeral Home today to sort out some more paperwork. Nine minutes early in the parking … Continue reading

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Proof of identity

We are gathering documentation today to prove who Dad was and that he is gone. The irony leaves me breathless. I am tempted to write so very much more here, but I must refrain. I am too tired, for I … Continue reading

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Memorial Card from Celebration of Life

Outside of card (the double-sided paper was folded): Dad heard a song of Phil Ochs around the time of listening to other folk artists such as Joan Baez and Ian and Sylvia in the mid 1960s. He identified it as … Continue reading

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Meaninglessness in the mundane

This afternoon’s matchup: Collapsing boxes for recycle vs. immeasurable grief and loss. Analysis: No contest. Winner: W.H. Auden.

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A deliberate choice of symbols: defining pure essence

The Celebration of Life display for Dad was deliberately simple (Thoreau-like stripped down), but it had all the essentials. The urn, chosen by Dad, represents transformation. His picture was snapped during a family occasion, mid-laugh. Reading glasses hang out of … Continue reading

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An inelegant introduction

A grieving daughter’s journey into consciousness The day after a Celebration of Life and burial for my father, the words Dad lived his life by – Emily Dickinson’s “I dwell in possibility” – were juxtaposed starkly against my own state … Continue reading

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