My Dad has been "gone" for 35 years.

[DawnCt1]

My Dad passed away over 35 years ago at the young age of 57. When I reflect on how things are today, I imagine how he would react to what we have now. He would be thrilled at;
1. Radio controlled model airplanes. He used to take me to fly the ones on a tether.
2. Cell phones, that would amaze him.
3. Black holes. He was always interested in astronomy and the theory that black holes existed. He would be thrilled to know that they do.
4. Computers. I don't think he could imagine a laptop computer that does what it does.

There are so many things that he would be stunned to see, hear and experience. It is one thing if we experience the technology, the social changes and the politics incrementally, but I can only imagine his reaction if he suddenly returned to experience it all. DH and I were laughing about it tonight. My Mom has been gone 14 years. Even though a lot of what we have now was available then, there are still so many changes that would amaze her. Anyone else think about that?

 

[Holly]

I've had similar thoughts about people I've lost.

 

[krcit]

My dad will be gone 20 years in November. He was 55. I think about the changes in the world and wonder what he would think. he would be fascinated by the technology but the rest of it...not so much, lol.

I'm sorry about your parents. Time goes so fast doesn't it?

 

[C.Ann]

My dad passed away in 1987.. Gosh - I loved that man!

I've always wondered what his reaction would have been on 9/11; how he would have felt about the war in Iraq; what he would think of the economy today (since he lived through the depression); his take on computers, cable tv, cell phones, the kind (and cost) of cars that people drive today; how much homes cost now (he built all of his homes himself and never had a mortgage); how people have allowed themselves to get all caught up in the world of "credit" (he always paid cash for everything - including his vehicles); etc..

What hurts the most is that he never got to see my DD get married (he would have loved her DH) and never had the opportunity to be a greatgrandfather to my DGD (she would have loved him to pieces)..

I remember when my DH passed away - wishing my "daddy" was still here to "make it all better"..

He may not have been my "biological" father (I'm adopted), but he was my father - the greatest father I have ever known..

 

[Hermosa11]

what a great way of thinking...what they would have thought of the changes in the world.

Mom passed in 1985
Dad passed in 1995

I totally hear you....

 

[OceanAnnie]

I often think of my grandparents in the same way. They survived the depression. I wonder what they would think about the state of the economy now.

I think they would not be so impressed with most of the "new" technology. I think they would have loved computers. I don't think they would've loved cell phones and all of the electronic gadgets. But it would be some interesting conversations.

I miss them. They were good people. Loved them dearly and think of them often. There are a lot of things I wish we could talk about and share.

 

[DawnCt1]

I totally miss both of my parents. My Dad never got to see any of our children. He would have been an awesome grandfather. He LOVED toys, gadgets, building things, flying model airplanes, train sets, traveling. Amusement parks, roller coasters, and he drove my mother, aunt and my brother all the way to WDW before he died. I was out of the house then. It was their first 'hotel' vacation. They always camped. When I was a kid, it was a tent. When I left home, they bought a little camping trailer.

My mother was an awesome cookie baking grandmother. I had to really twist her arm to come to WDW with us the first time. I told her that I had bought her airline ticket and she didn't have a choice. She went grudgingly and we weren't at the Polynesian more than 30 minutes when she said, "When are we going again next year so I can request my time off from work". She went with us almost every year until she passed away in 1996. Seems like yesterday some days, and other days it seems like too long ago.

 

[mrsheppo]

I often wonder too. My mom passed away in 1982 and dad died in 1993. Mom would have loved computers and cell phones, she loved slot machines and would have loved to play online video poker. Dad was never really into technology unless it had to do with cars. I remember when he was ranting and raving when gas hit a dollar a gallon. I can't imagine what he would have said when gas was over $4.

My one regret was that neither one of them ever got to experience WDW or DL. Mom always wanted to go but Dad kept saying that they were nothing but an amusement park. My dear Grandpa was the one who took me for the first time and hooked me at an early age to love Disney.

 

[TwingleMum]

Dawn ~ Thank you for your beautiful tribute to your parents. Your love for them shone through every word. It is a wonderful reminder to us all to honor our loved ones who have gone and to remember they are never really gone they live in our hearts and memories. I also believe that our love ones do watch over us. My boys were very young when my Nana died at 95 yrs old and I explained to them that Nana will always love you and be there for you. I told them that her love was like the wind you couldn't see it but you could feel it.

C Ann~ A Father is more than DNA its the scraped knees, hugs & kisses,wiped tears and laughter and much more that makes a Dad. I know he probably felt incredibly lucky that you were his little girl.

May be tonight everyone should count their blessings for the wonderful people they love both here and gone. And tell them how much they mean to us.

So thanks everyone for the reminder~ I have a Mom & Dad to call and tell them how much I love them and how grateful I am that they love me. And yes they were right in 7th grade not to let me sleep at Susan T's house because I would have done something not so smart (even though at the time I thought they were the worst parents on earth and vowed to hate them forever) I have a husband and kids to kiss as they all sleep and send them my love. And prayers to say for & to the Dear Ones in my life that went ahead and are watching our me.

 

[shellabell]

My mom died in 1981 at 39; I was 12. I find this thread interesting because I don't think I have ever thought about all the things she never got to see. The only thing I really thought about was that I wish she had seen her grandchildren. I do know she would be very upset with how old Barry Gibb has gotten

 

[MinnieTink]

My best friend died 16 years ago. She was 21 and never emailed me or called me on a cell phone...although her mom did have one if those car phone monstrosities. We used to write letters to each other ALL the time. We would have really burned up the Internet and needed unlimited texting.

Oh and she so loved Tom Cruise fromhis Top Gun and Risky Business days. I wonder what she would think of His Royal Weirdness now.

 

[bumbershoot]

My mom died in 2000. While I was stayed there with my stepdad, we went to Target, and they had *just* come out with the "cleaning wipes" for bathrooms and such. My mom was a super neat-freak, loved cleaning so much, and she would have loved those. But she hadn't ever seen them.

Someone mentioned 9/11...I have the pain and weirdness of wondering if it would have happened if my mom hadn't died...sounds odd, right? She was diagnosed with leukemia in mid-December '99. She worked at the CIA and had a job monitoring chatter in the middle east. After the day where everything was looking like she was finally testing positive (she had had WEIRD symptoms for over a year and kept getting tested for it) she didn't go back to work. She died March 11, 2000. We went to clean out her desk a week later. No one had been in her desk or computers during that nearly 3 months. My mom was very good at her job. Always briefing bigwigs. (I knew she had briefings but didn't know what her job was until after she died, when her boss was astonished that I didn't know, since it wasn't a secret) She had an amazing mind that could make leaps others couldn't. So...I always wonder...what might she have seen 1.5 years before 9/11, that her colleagues missed?

Not a fun feeling to be left with, a bit sickening, actually....I definitely learned that gov't employees have to take their jobs seriously!



It would have been lovely for her to meet DS. And DH.

[But I don't think it all would have happened if she were alive. The thing I was intrigued by about DH was that he'd had a fast-growing tumor in his brain while he was in his 20s. Used ONLY alternative medicine to heal it. No western medicine at all. His diagnosing docs gave him 6 months to live without radiation b/c it was growing so fast; it wasn't operable. Anyway, since my mom actually didn't die of leukemia; she died due to missed and mis-diagnosis combined with a drug she was on, I was really impressed that he'd kept out of their clutches. But I wouldn't have had those feelings AS strong if that hadn't happened to my mom.

And...not to get into too much about this...but my mom believed in reincarnation (as does my Buddhist hubby)...and...sometimes...I wonder if my son IS my mom...so...it might be that they could not have met.]

 

[Plannin'Shannon]

My Daddy's been gone only 3 years and there have been already been so many technological advances that he would have loved. I think about this all the time.

 

[2cats1kid]

My dad died in 1993 and my mum in 2005.

Dad would just have been glad that mum eventually received the compensation he had campaigned for, even if he didn't live to see it. He was a survivor of the Burma-Siam railway and compensation came through about a year after he died and about 48 years late.

 

[MickeysMommy]

I wanted to give a to everyone. My Daddy passed away 4 years ago and man, I miss him so much

 

[DawnCt1]

Someone mentioned 9/11...I have the pain and weirdness of wondering if it would have happened if my mom hadn't died...sounds odd, right? She was diagnosed with leukemia in mid-December '99. She worked at the CIA and had a job monitoring chatter in the middle east. After the day where everything was looking like she was finally testing positive (she had had WEIRD symptoms for over a year and kept getting tested for it) she didn't go back to work. She died March 11, 2000. We went to clean out her desk a week later. No one had been in her desk or computers during that nearly 3 months. My mom was very good at her job. Always briefing bigwigs. (I knew she had briefings but didn't know what her job was until after she died, when her boss was astonished that I didn't know, since it wasn't a secret) She had an amazing mind that could make leaps others couldn't. So...I always wonder...what might she have seen 1.5 years before 9/11, that her colleagues missed?
.

That's an amazing question. The butterfly effect. EVERYONE makes a difference.

 

[DawnCt1]

My dad died in 1993 and my mum in 2005.

Dad would just have been glad that mum eventually received the compensation he had campaigned for, even if he didn't live to see it. He was a survivor of the Burma-Siam railway and compensation came through about a year after he died and about 48 years late.

I am so glad that he finally received his well earned, deserved compensation. Somehow, I think he knows.

 

[Pooh93]

My mom died May 26, 1987 at the age of 48. I am now that age and I really realize now how young she was when she died. She lived in Californina and me in Illinois. Obviously, there was not cell phone or email at that time. I could only talk to her once a week because of the cost. I often think if we'd only had cell phones or a computer, we could have talked all the time and could have even skyped!

Worst part is she never knew my dd's. I look at my youngest and sometimes see glimpses of what I think is my mom. My mom loved to laugh and youngest dd is light hearted and loves to laugh and make others feel good.