andyfox
10-19-2004, 01:52 AM
Originally he wanted to have it at our house. But then he told me there would be 150 people. So we changed it to a restaurant.
Many of the guests were his age. About an hour into it, I saw one of them lying on the bench outside the place. His wife had placed her purse underneath his head as a pillow. I went out and asked if everything was OK. Oh yes, not to worry, he's just resting.
My dad had angioplasty (2 stents) last week Tuesday, and then had a pacemaker installed on Thursday. And came to his party on Sunday. Amazing.
I emceed, and was at my Borscht Belt best. (If I do say so myself.) My sister forgot her glasses and couldn't read her speech. She tried though. Suffice to say it was not her best moment.
I trimmed my dad's speech because I didn't think he could get through it emotionally, but even in the shortened version, he broke down in the middle. He lost his best friend of fifty-seven years last year and I know how much he misses my mom. (Perhaps, too, the drugs they use for the surgeries, and the medications they give you after, make you super-emotional; at least I felt that after my back surgery a couple years ago.)
Anyway, it was a touching moment. He recovered and out came the cake and the eighty five (or so) candles and it was wonderful and magical and thrilling. I joke sometimes, at difficult times, about next time not having any parents or children, but you sit at a table at something like this with your sons and your daughter and your wife and your father and you count your blessings.
Each and every one.
Many of the guests were his age. About an hour into it, I saw one of them lying on the bench outside the place. His wife had placed her purse underneath his head as a pillow. I went out and asked if everything was OK. Oh yes, not to worry, he's just resting.
My dad had angioplasty (2 stents) last week Tuesday, and then had a pacemaker installed on Thursday. And came to his party on Sunday. Amazing.
I emceed, and was at my Borscht Belt best. (If I do say so myself.) My sister forgot her glasses and couldn't read her speech. She tried though. Suffice to say it was not her best moment.
I trimmed my dad's speech because I didn't think he could get through it emotionally, but even in the shortened version, he broke down in the middle. He lost his best friend of fifty-seven years last year and I know how much he misses my mom. (Perhaps, too, the drugs they use for the surgeries, and the medications they give you after, make you super-emotional; at least I felt that after my back surgery a couple years ago.)
Anyway, it was a touching moment. He recovered and out came the cake and the eighty five (or so) candles and it was wonderful and magical and thrilling. I joke sometimes, at difficult times, about next time not having any parents or children, but you sit at a table at something like this with your sons and your daughter and your wife and your father and you count your blessings.
Each and every one.