Once a little boy sent me a charming card with a little drawing on it. I loved it. I answer all my children’s letters — sometimes very hastily — but this one I lingered over. I sent him a card and I drew a picture of a Wild Thing on it. I wrote, ‘Dear Jim: I loved your card.’ Then I got a letter back from his mother and she said, ‘Jim loved your card so much he ate it.’ That to me was one of the highest compliments I’ve ever received. He didn’t care that it was an original Maurice Sendak drawing or anything. He saw it, he loved it, he ate it.
Meow meow meow, my name is ghiselli and I’m a pretty unicorn. Meow!
Abuelito Jose Alcantar 1912-2011
My Grandfather Jose Alcantar passed away yesterday during his afternoon nap. He got up early like he always did, read the paper, ate, went to the office for the last time, came home, had lunch and took his afternoon nap… That was it. 98 years young and he went to the office to check things out before he checked out.
The last conversation I had with him was last year after my Grandmother Emmas funeral. He thought it was 1956 and he thought I was my father. He called me Richie and asked me about school… Then he handed me a dime and told me it was a quarter and told me to go wash his truck.
My family is really torn up about his death, but I’m not really sure why. He was 98, had a full head of hair, lived in Mexico through the depression, had 8 children and a million grandchildren, and even more great grandchildren. He had a good life when he remembered it and when he didn’t know what year it was he went back to the best years.
How many people get to have a good meal, slip into their silk pjs, and kiss their partner goodnight before taking their everlasting afternoon nap!
Seriously. What a flawless exit.
I think I may be able to grow a beard one day…?
