(An essay in memory of my late father, Joseph Ward)
True story, word of honor, part 1: Theresa is working on a crossword puzzle right now. The puzzle theme is “Where’s The Remote?”
True story, word of honor, part 2: My father misplaced his TV remote control a lot. Like all the time. He also turned the volume on his TV up to 11 a lot. Like all the time. The combination of him turning his TV volume up to Led Zeppelin levels along with him misplacing his remote control meant that his TV would be blasting when I arrived, and I could not find the remote to turn it down.
I went to visit my father on April 22, 2023. He was living in an assisted living facility in New Jersey. When I arrived, the woman at the front desk told me how sorry she was about my father’s passing. Which I appreciated, except….I didn’t know he had passed. I was coming to visit him, and….
So I walked down the hallway to his room, and I could hear his TV blasting at Led Zeppelin volume. He had indeed passed away, just minutes before. I decided to turn off the TV (he certainly didn’t need it anymore), and….I could not find the remote control. I looked around him, and in his bed, and his chair, and under his bedsheets. Not under the bed. Nothing. Nowhere.
In order to have some silence, and pay my respects, I had to unplug the TV.
I never did find the remote control.
Where’s the remote?!
With Love,
Hal
P.S. In my faith, we have an expression: “May his memory be a blessing”. In his case, his memory is indeed a blessing. May he rest in peace.
