“YOU GOT THE JUICE, NOW”
https://www.stlbeacon.org/#!/content/26383/dulick_brother_080712
Besides my brother John’s memorial, there were four more funerals, not to mention the two I missed in Las Vegas. I think folks are going to run and hide when they hear I’m coming to town.I already told you last month about John’s beautiful day (see the link above, to The Beacon). There were about 60 guests, but I never could have imagined how we would multiply. Melissa Pomerantz, who teaches writing at Parkway North High School, exclaimed, “There he is!” when I appeared unannounced at her class, making my “rounds.” Then I noticed, “Dear Dr. Dulick,” on the board. What the ...? Soon she explained, and you won’t believe this! For their first exercise, she had her students write sympathy notes to me for my brother’s death. Not only that. You remember that John’s service was focused, as it were, on his unique idea to make a little viewfinder in a piece of construction paper to better appreciate “so many beautiful things in the world.” Melissa’s class made viewfinders! “I just didn’t want you to mourn alone,” she said, and I just about lost it. She gave me the letters, 26 in all, and you can tell me, from a few excerpts, if they sound like they’re from strangers.
Dear Dr. Dulick,
Today as I woke up I thought today would be just another day of school. Until Ms. Pomerantz’ class. In this class we learned about you and your brother. He is one of the heroes of the world! Giving back is a huge thing and I’m very sorry for your lost. I don’t know your brother but just by hearing about him I know he’s in Good Hands.
P.S. Keep making us smile!
Dear Dr. Dulick,
I am a student in Ms. Pomerantz’ class. We just heard about your brother’s last voice message and the lesson he left inside. Everyone took a piece of construction paper and cut a box in the middle of it. Then we all found an object in the room and looked at it with more detail. We overlook beautiful things, because we don’t take time to focus on the little things. The view finder in my opinion helps block the negativity in the world and helps find the beauty in normal everyday objects.
Dear Dr. Dulick,
I am not a person of many words. However, your eulogy for your brother sent shivers down my spine and left me with two words, the first one being “beautiful,” and the second being “precious. I would like to thank you and say very sorry for your lost.
Well, you got the juice now, Dr. Dulick.
“Sorry for your LOST.” Not a mistake, really, since that’s how we felt.
When I go to St. Louis, I get very kind invitations to dinner, and folks ask me what I’d like to eat. Maybe a steak? pasta? barbecue? Never in a million years--well, the past 10 years anyway--would it have occurred to me to say, “How about a Thanksgiving dinner?” But dear friends Mary and Larry had a hunch I would enjoy it. Usually they run every item on the menu past me beforehand, so I was a little suspicious when not a single consultation was sought. Thanksgiving Day in the middle of summer! An idea as creative as my brother John’s viewfinder. But, believe me, I didn’t spend much time lookin’ at it; I just dove in. My first turkey dinner since I moved to Honduras in 2003. And gravy, and sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie!
Now, speaking of surprising meals, my sister Barb sure got a mouthful when her son Jason and his wife Sonja invited her to Blueberry Hill for the “official” announcement of the sex of their second baby, due January 15. They handed her this enormous cupcake that had either a pink or blue lollipop inside. Barb took a tentative bite, and then a big gulp. “It’s a boy!” A little brother for Jaslyn. The way we all carried on, the Loop probably thought they had another riot on their hands. Jason is head football coach at Gateway Tech, and some Rams came to the dedication of Gateway’s new field. Just between you and me, I think Jason’s going to have the better season.
If kids don’t motivate you, nothing will. Teresa Jorgen treated me and her nephew Bryan and his mom to “The Lion King” at the Fox. I had never seen the stage show before, and I was overwhelmed. As the lights came up for intermission, Teresa thought something was wrong. “No, no, I’m crying, but I’m happy.” It’s about great losses, a father, a son, a family, impossible odds, life and death--well, you know the story. You got the juice now, Simba.
I couldn’t even say how much I missed Chemo. If only I could have shown up in his sky by night, like the lion king. I did call several times, both looking at the same moon.
I did not get back to Honduras till the end of August, but three major events crammed the schedule.
First, a wedding. Weddings are a rarity around here. Oh, most people are “casados,” but that is, shall we say, a social, not a legal status. And unlike the United States, a church wedding is not legal, either. So when Tania and Dennis put up their status on FACEBOOK as “Married,” I wondered. “Oh, we got married civilly here in San Pedro Sula, but for us, the real wedding will be in Las Vegas, at the church!” Now, of course, the church encourages a sacramental union, but no young couple can imagine a wedding without the bash, and that’s expensive. That’s probably why Tania and Dennis put at the bottom of their wedding invitation: “Your gifts, please, in cash.”
I’ve known Tania all her life. One of Erlinda and Guillermo’s twelve children, among whom are Maricela, mother of Helen and Marité, Tania has that beauty and charm and presence that make all the family natural actors, dancers, performers of all kinds. So a wedding was the perfect stage, and she did not disappoint. Dennis played his part very well, too. Sort of a fairy-tale, but for real!
That was Saturday, August 25. The very next day, another blowout, the annual parish-wide celebration to conclude the Month of the Family, with about 3000 in attendance. Two years ago, Las Vegas played host, and it was a huge amount of work. This year it was Victoria’s turn. The crowd gathered at the clinic at the edge of town and paraded through the streets singing and stopping every now and then for a little preaching from the pastor, Padre Jaime, all the way to the church at the other end of town. Padre Jaime loves these “processions”; it’s his way of reminding everyone of the Catholic culture in the community. But, what with the heat and the distance, I was exhausted by the time we reached our destination. Chemo was being very cooperative, but there was no way we could even get inside the crowded church. So we snuck away a little early to get something to eat. Still, it was a glorious day.
We had to save our strength for the next day, the long bus trip to Tegucigalpa, to celebrate Elio’s birthday. Because of this big parish thing, I had missed Elio’s last three birthdays, so, even though I had just been in Tegucigalpa returning from the States, I headed right back there. Not only me and Chemo, but his nephew Joel and cousin Dionis. I knew it was crazy, but I figured, one, Chemo had not been to Tegus since April, and, two, much as I enjoy Chemo, a kid wants companions his own age. Also, call me morbid, but Chemo’s operation is coming up in October, and anything can happen. Should I be cutting back right now, like the Ryan budget?
If anything, Elio was cutting back, and he apologized that the party was more “modest” this year, due to economic restraints. But with Mema his wife and the rest of his family and friends there, it’s always a “fiesta,” so much love and fun, and dancing! Not to mention the food! If they were cutting back, you sure couldn’t tell. I had two big helpings, at Mema’s insistence, of course.
The next day, the boys played the arcade for four hours straight, interrupted only by supper at Pizza Hut. For some reason, they weren’t even interested in the dodge ’em cars. Joel was already complaining of a headache, so maybe that was it. The non-stop eating made up for the lack of any competition; they were “starving” all the time. And I guess I had super-sized my belly in St. Louis, so I always had room for more, too.
But my diet will have to wait at least one more week. We’re off to Progreso and Morazán, to catch up on our visits there. So we can’t be skimping!
Oh, yes, one more thing. The kids thank you for the donations of clothes! And even a doll!
This just in! When Chepito spotted my copy of the Summer issue of “The Round Table,” published by Karen House, the Catholic Worker shelter for women and children in North St. Louis, he folded it up and snuck it out of the house. He just brought me his full-color version of the striking cover drawing by Carolyn Griffeth. Its theme, “Life Together,” rooted in community. Can we keep that in mind, especially in these contentious times?
Love, Miguel
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