Thanks for the Memories
I knew Thanksgiving would be hard when a couple of weeks ago I was in Costco and as I walked by the pumpkin pies, tears welled up in my eyes. I found out later that my daughter Natasha had the same experience on a different day. Daryl would eat pumpkin pie for breakfast around Thanksgiving. Every year he would make these incredible orange rolls. It was kind of a family effort with the girls and I zesting the oranges, making the glaze but Daryl did most of the work. It was quite an ordeal to watch as he rolled out the dough working up a sweat as his glasses would slide down his nose. He wanted perfectly thin dough to roll up several times to make many layers. He would make a triple batch sometimes quadruple so there would be baking pans all over the kitchen but the aroma of soft, gooey orange rolls baking permeated the whole house and was worth the mess. He loved making them for family and friends. I promise if you were a lucky recipient of Daryl's orange rolls there was never any sweat in them, just a labor of love!
On this Thanksgiving I feel gratitude for the many people in my life who have shown us so much love and support, so much help. This week I have re-read cards that were given to us after Daryl's passing. My girls and I have feel so much comfort when someone shares a memory of Daryl with us. I am reminded of a quote by May Sarton..."What is there to do when people die-people so dear and rare-but bring them back by remembering."
My brother-in-law Robin shared with me a memory when he first met Daryl at age 13. He was very curious about his mission to Brazil and wanted to know what kind of ties missionaries wore and then he showed Robin some of his ties. Even at a young age he had great taste in clothes. The memory of ties made me smile because it made me think about the time not to long ago that Daryl announced to Alexa and I that he would not be wearing a tie to church anymore. He said they were to restrictive and a tradition, and traditions are meant to be broken. Haha- I got really good at saying..okay honey! I think sometimes he would do things to test us and see if we truly did accept him. :)
A memory from a friend of the girls said this.. "Daryl was an incredible example to me as a kid. He was one of those adults that made growing up seem okay because he was fun and unbelievably generous. I felt like all of you were my family."That is exactly the way Daryl wanted people to feel when they came to our home. Another friend .."He listened to me and I didn't feel judged." A co -worker.."He was the first man in my life that me feel as a woman, I could contribute."
Some other words people have used that best describe Daryl.."the fun edgy Uncle" "he taught me important life lessons" "he always made me think" "his impact and energy made a difference"
Thank you all - for sharing your memories of Daryl with us!
It's true that death leaves a heartache no one can heal but love leaves a memory no one can steal.
(From a headstone in Ireland)
On this Thanksgiving I feel gratitude for the many people in my life who have shown us so much love and support, so much help. This week I have re-read cards that were given to us after Daryl's passing. My girls and I have feel so much comfort when someone shares a memory of Daryl with us. I am reminded of a quote by May Sarton..."What is there to do when people die-people so dear and rare-but bring them back by remembering."My brother-in-law Robin shared with me a memory when he first met Daryl at age 13. He was very curious about his mission to Brazil and wanted to know what kind of ties missionaries wore and then he showed Robin some of his ties. Even at a young age he had great taste in clothes. The memory of ties made me smile because it made me think about the time not to long ago that Daryl announced to Alexa and I that he would not be wearing a tie to church anymore. He said they were to restrictive and a tradition, and traditions are meant to be broken. Haha- I got really good at saying..okay honey! I think sometimes he would do things to test us and see if we truly did accept him. :)
A memory from a friend of the girls said this.. "Daryl was an incredible example to me as a kid. He was one of those adults that made growing up seem okay because he was fun and unbelievably generous. I felt like all of you were my family."That is exactly the way Daryl wanted people to feel when they came to our home. Another friend .."He listened to me and I didn't feel judged." A co -worker.."He was the first man in my life that me feel as a woman, I could contribute."
Some other words people have used that best describe Daryl.."the fun edgy Uncle" "he taught me important life lessons" "he always made me think" "his impact and energy made a difference"
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| Buddhist Monk at Angkor Wat Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia |
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| November 28, 2016 |
Thank you all - for sharing your memories of Daryl with us!
It's true that death leaves a heartache no one can heal but love leaves a memory no one can steal.
(From a headstone in Ireland)
I remember when we went to Peru while Daryl was on his mission. We had to sleep in the airport waiting for our next flight. When we got to the town where he was we tried to use the telephone but didn't know how. Their phone system works different than ours but we finally got where he was. Only took awhile. Had a visit. Later we went on an excursion with some of the missionaries. We played Uno on the train. Visited Machu Pichu. Great place.
ReplyDeleteWell yay! Maybe from now on I'll always roll my dough thin like I did tonight on accident and do it in memory of Daryl! All those layers of flavor. Yummm. He will live on in our memories forever. Love you guys.
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