Surreal

Ever had an out of body experience? I did, recently.
I make no secret of the fact that my Dad is my hero and it’s been over a decade since he past away. His absence created a void in my life that will go with me to my grave.
At my nieces wedding, his loss came front and center.

I had not seen my uncle in over a dozen years, and at the recent wedding, I was told he was there. As I walked towards him across an expansive lawn, in the dim light of the night, I saw a familiar figure, that looked like Dad. My uncle was wearing a hat that was a signature of my Dad’s wardrobe, and the resemblance, in the dim light was uncanny.

That WAS my Dad, but it was not. The look, the voice, the attire. All him. None of him. For the first time since my Dad died, I saw him in flesh and blood, except it was not him.

The flood gates opened, and the tears came effortlessly. Moments of weakness, and the pain of loss just broke my heart. I hugged him, and we spoke in quiet tones about the days of old. I so wanted him to be the father I lost, but he was a kid brother to my father with an all too familiar look. I spent a lot of time with him that evening, loving on him, as if he was my father. Surreal.