Saturday, December 03, 2011
In memory of / mom and dad / miss you - tam
mom and dad :: wickham park, ct :: 1963 - 1965 ?
Remember when I was all full of The Ick?
Youknowwho’s letter was part 1. Part 2 was a brick I purchased at Wickham Park.
Wickham was an important part of my childhood, and I made a very specific point to hang out there for a while during one of my trips to CT. That’s when I found out about the brick program… I’ve had the donation form and that photo in my inbox forever. Just never ready to make my move, so to speak.
I have a hard time reconciling who I think people are with who they actually are, and that’s caused me a metric shit ton of pain my entire life. (That’s m-e-t-r-i-c newword s-h-i-t newword t-o-n. (Boy Wonder joke. I love our staff meetings!!!))
At any rate, Teh Drama between my mother and myself has been well documented in a thousand places, including here. It’s practically impossible for me to reconcile the woman my father loved with the abusive bitch I grew up with. So, when I was at WP, I kept thinking of this picture of my parents, which was taken in the Oriental Garden. I can’t say I achieved clarity or any closure while I was sitting there at the duck pond, but something happened. Maybe it was because of the squirrel that wouldn’t leave me alone. (J’s mom LOVED squirrels. It’s safe to say that damn thing might have been a sign from the universe…)
I saw the thing for the brick and I became obsessed with buying one. I even knew what I was putting on it.
Surprised the shit out of me.
I certainly wasn’t expecting the following handwritten note with the receipt:
What a lovely tribute to your parents. Our staff really enjoyed the photo you sent. So many of them have been here for decades and enjoy seeing what the grounds looked like “back then”. The Director feels the photo was taken between 1963 and 1965 based on the plantings in the Oriental Garden.
Did you ever hear someone say they thought your mom looked like the actress Mary Steenburgen? I know the photo is kind of far away from her face, but that’s the first thing I thought of when I looked at it. What a great picture; they look very happy.
Thank you for your gift to the park in their memory.
Another bit of weight off of my shoulders.
Clarity, closure, and cookies, bitches.
That’s just how I’m rollin’...
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