Bittersweet December

We have all tasted the bitterness of death. It is never welcome, yet always shows up uninvited; sometimes unexpected and sometimes arrives slowly but surely. It never shows mercy to anyone. Death is cruel and heartless.

December 1, 1968 is the day my brother Johnny had a fatal car crash. Today marks 45 years since he’s gone and I miss him more every year. He won’t be at our Christmas dinner. I can’t call him on the phone to hear his voice. I can only see his beaming smile in old photos.

Johnny – age 12

I still remember crying profusely at the grave as they lowered the casket into the ground, like a scene from Dr. Zhivago. It was bitter cold, tears stinging my face, a sharp pain in my heart; more pain than a sensitive 16 year old girl can bear! It was all so surreal, like watching a horrible movie!

Johnny was a fantastic drummer and an ardent Beatle fan. While meandering through Central Park NYC in August, we stopped at John Lennon’s Imagine memorial (across the street from the Dakotas where he was brutally murdered on December 8, 1980). There are hundreds of people stopping by for pictures everyday. I had to wait my turn in line. I sit and reflect, what a tragedy!

Christmas can be a sad time of year for many: those who are losing loved ones right at this moment and people who have lost family and friends this year and in years gone by.

To all who have lost someone they love: it is inevitable, but there is hope. May the message of Christmas bring you peace and comfort.

“Good tidings of great joy we bring to you!”

❤ the Angels