Lost Loved Ones on Christmas

Thank you for sharing your story. I too lost a parent while in my teens I compare the experience to an amputation; you learn to adapt to what is missing, but you are always aware of the loss.


That is a beautiful wilderness area, and it must be moving to be there knowing that it was your dad's stomping grounds too.
 
JGON that was a very touching story. I see that you live in southeastern WI. I lived in Kenosha most of my life. I am now 51 the same age as your dad born 1959. Was he from Kenosha by chance?
 
I'm really glad that I took the time to read this thread. The story and the photos are a wonderful tribute to your father. I'm sure he would be quite proud.

Jeff
 
Thank you everyone for the kind words...

Living my life in a manner that I know would have made him proud has given me peace... He was born in Texas, and lived a majority of his life in Door County.

There is a brick wall about two feet wide that my dad used to ride down on his mountain bike in the park... It was down a steep hill, and off to the right hand side was a pretty steep drop off. I've always wanted to duplicate his ride down this treacherous wall, but I haven't found the courage yet. This summer I'll probably go there again and give it a shot.

Thanks again everyone. Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and other special days are always difficult, but it helps a lot to talk about and share his life.

Thank you so much for looking,

Jordan
 
JGON, thanks for taking time to share this part of your life with us.
Pictures are great and story is as touching & real as it gets.

Sorry for the loss you & your family experienced. But as I read your words, I am impressed by the manner in which you seem to have accepted and handled it. :) .. :thumbup:

Take care when you ride that "brick wall" this summer. ;)

Kind regards and sincere thanks, once again; for sharing this..... :)
 
Hi JGON -

A great read - and a very nice tribute to your father.

I have a friend who owns an old resort property in Sturgeon Bay.

Beautiful area up there.

Thanks for the great pictures and touching story.

Edit - I notice that you are in SE Wisconsin - it would be great if you could make it to one of Stomper's (JK Handmade Knives) gatherings this coming year.

best regards -

mqqn
 
teacher said:
JGON, thanks for taking time to share this part of your life with us.
Pictures are great and story is as touching & real as it gets.

Sorry for the loss you & your family experienced. But as I read your words, I am impressed by the manner in which you seem to have accepted and handled it. :) .. :thumbup:

Take care when you ride that "brick wall" this summer. ;)

Kind regards and sincere thanks, once again; for sharing this..... :)
Click to expand...

It will never be EASY, but it does get EASIER with time...

There was a time when I would not say I handled it well. The more time that went on, however, the more comfortable I got talking about it and the better I dealt with it.

One of the best things I ever did to deal with the grief was to get a tattoo in memory of the old man. I got it only a month after he passed. It forced me to talk about it. Any time anybody saw it, or any time a conversation about tattoos came up, I had to explain it to people. At first I kept it short. Then I learned that I felt better the more I talked about it, and I began sharing more...

Then one day I had a friend inform me that her father had died on father's day after he was killed by a drunk driver. After that, she seemed "unrealistically ok". She tried to go back to her normal life, which is not possible for a young person to do after losing a parent unexpectedly. I let her be stubborn for a few weeks, but after that, I began sharing more about my dad to her, and she began to open up. She realized how sad she was, and how much it hurt, but she also realized that dealing with it and talking about it was the only way she was going to feel any better at all. So that's what she did. She still thanks me to this day for helping her get through one of the toughest times of her life.

Through my dad's death, I feel I've helped some people in this world. I've made it a better place through a horrible experience of my own. That's what helps me in the end. I will always miss him, and I will always wish I had another chance to go fishing with him, or show him my accomplishments, or have a beer with him, or just hug him or talk to him... but I can't, so I will live through him in other ways. By sharing his story and by living my life in a way that I know would make him smile.

I've been thinking about him a lot lately. It's been more beneficial than you know to share these words with you all. Thank you so much....

JGON
 
Sorry for your loss, very touching. Loss in a physical sense but spiritually he is with you everyday. Those are very beautiful pics. Thanks for sharing a very heartfelt story.
 
JGON,
You are living your life in a positive manner that would make your father proud of his son; every day is a gift from God and we need to live it the best we can. I know his spirit is in you, will continue to guide you, and will carry on to your children. My father passed 20 years ago and there isn't a day go by that I don't think of him...
Thank you for sharing your story and the pictures of Door County.
 
J, thanks for the story very deep indeed, your dad seemed like my kinda guy, tragic loss, lots of heart to know whats gonna happen and still have enough in you to place your gloves like that.. 41 is just to young, then again it seemed like he had a full life, probably did more then most at 60..

I just turned 41 this month, so you story really hit home.. I've lost both my parents, my dad a day before thanksgiving '06..

my mom was actually from your area, I have family there, lost contact and most of them I've never met..

I think its awesome you have such a beautiful place to go and connect with him..

Take care,

Rob
 
JGON,
That's one of the most touching threads I've ever read. I lost my Dad July 09. It's great that you have that special, spiritual place to remember your Dad. Thanks again for sharing.
 
Thanks everyone... Your kind words mean a lot. Stay tuned for some kayaking photos later tonight!

JGON
 
This is a very nice story. I feel for ya bro, my dad passed away about 3 weeks ago. I too took a trip out as part of my healing process. I know it will take time but reading your post has helped and I thank you.
 
Thanks for sharing the story and pics

I think you should carve YOUR intials under your dad's:)

Arborglyphs are (were?) a popular tradition among the Basque sheepmen in Nevada, New Mexico And Colorado
My father took me to special aspen grove when I was about 10 grove near Osier, CO where he carved his name as a kid
And his father...
I carved my name too
It was sort of a rite of passge to him (and me)
Historians are now starting to realize the importance of arborglyphs
But, time is running out to document them :(
Most arborglyphs only last about 80 years
Here is a pic from another grove near Osier
There are maybe 200 arborglyphs there:thumbup:
4839447598_8593c5a923_b.jpg


They were used by the Basque sheepmen as "bulletin boards"
Like "Jose..meet me here in the spring"
Or "Maria had a baby boy in March"

http://www.arborglyphs.com/
http://basque.unr.edu/trees/thumbnails1.htm
http://knowledgecenter.unr.edu/sheepherders/arborglyphs.html
http://books.google.com/books?id=G6WAeAqCntIC&pg=PA180&lpg=PA180&dq=arborglyphs+speaking&source=bl&ots=k6zPbGH6Tu&sig=UcMEW-UOboV0NNUsVurwtIGPbpw&hl=en&ei=3u9RTdTZFpC0sAPMubncBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&sqi=2&ved=0CDEQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=arborglyphs%20speaking&f=false

BTW..the best method to make an arborglyps is to use a thumbtack and LIGHTLY SCORE the bark
If you do it too deep with a knife blade they quickly become illegible :(
 
That's a very touching post JGON. I am truley sorry for your loss. It is very nice to see you celebrate your father's life by visiting the place he loved so much.

It is very easy to see why he and you love that place; it's very beautiful!
 
What a great way to honor your father. I am certain he would be so proud to have a son like you dedicated to same principles he held and lived. Enjoy that bike ride!
 
I'm making a post 2 years later on this thread, because I went on another Christmas Day hike with some loved ones and decided to reread this after all this time. This isn't a sad day for us at this point, we just always like to do something outside to honor our dad, because that's the way he lived and thats what he would want...

Happy Holidays everyone!

JGON
 
Thanks for sharing, a beautiful place. It's good to have a special place where you can remember loved ones. Happy holidays!
 
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