Life is strange. Well, according to Sylvia and Mickey, Love is strange but they're annoying so we'll stick with my way. For once, this post has nothing to do with poo. Instead, I think I'll briefly write about Mike. Who is Mike? Well, settle in a bit and I'll tell you.
Mike is not my dad, as many have asked me in the past few days. Mike is/was my Dad's cousin. Like my father, Mike dared to move away from the home area, and thus found himself in Black Sheep Land. Although he and Dot lived in the same city as us, I actually didn't know him very well. Their kids were older than us, and they went to a different church. So even though we lived in the same town, I usually saw Mike at family gatherings. The one thing I can say about Mike is, the man was hilarious. Mike would come up, grinning that cheesy Maple grin, and say: "Did you ever hear the one about..." and would impart about 3 or 4 (often inappropriate, but very funny) jokes. Mike was a well-spring of humor. I don't think the man would ever run out of funny stories, jokes or things to say. The day Mike went home was the day a lot of laughter went out of this world.
I knew Mike would sometimes read my Facebook posts, because I would see a reply here and there. I found out something today that truly surprised me. Even though he didn't really know me, I had a fan in Mike. My parents told me that he read everything I wrote, and he was a follower of this blog. I know I have a few followers--kind souls brave enough to weather my poo-laden storms--but I never knew Mike read them. He'd come up to my parents in church, grinning and say: "Rachel's been on the computer again!" My mother would silently cross herself, wondering which church officials she'd have to bribe to look the other way and ask, "Should I be worried?" He'd laugh and defend me, "Nah, she's a corker!"
I was pleased to know that I amused Mike. To me, that would be like a lowly comedienne getting Robin Williams to think you're funny. What an honor! But at the same time, it saddened me. It made me frustrated to think that, all these years of living in the same town--and we hardly saw each other. I wish our families would have done more things together. I know that life simply got in the way. They were busy, we were busy. Hard to do things when your kids are vastly different ages, etc. Still, I'm glad to have known Mike. To know he cared about what I thought and wrote is probably one of the coolest things...EVER. So, cheers Mike. Oh, and did you hear the one about....?
Mike is not my dad, as many have asked me in the past few days. Mike is/was my Dad's cousin. Like my father, Mike dared to move away from the home area, and thus found himself in Black Sheep Land. Although he and Dot lived in the same city as us, I actually didn't know him very well. Their kids were older than us, and they went to a different church. So even though we lived in the same town, I usually saw Mike at family gatherings. The one thing I can say about Mike is, the man was hilarious. Mike would come up, grinning that cheesy Maple grin, and say: "Did you ever hear the one about..." and would impart about 3 or 4 (often inappropriate, but very funny) jokes. Mike was a well-spring of humor. I don't think the man would ever run out of funny stories, jokes or things to say. The day Mike went home was the day a lot of laughter went out of this world.
I knew Mike would sometimes read my Facebook posts, because I would see a reply here and there. I found out something today that truly surprised me. Even though he didn't really know me, I had a fan in Mike. My parents told me that he read everything I wrote, and he was a follower of this blog. I know I have a few followers--kind souls brave enough to weather my poo-laden storms--but I never knew Mike read them. He'd come up to my parents in church, grinning and say: "Rachel's been on the computer again!" My mother would silently cross herself, wondering which church officials she'd have to bribe to look the other way and ask, "Should I be worried?" He'd laugh and defend me, "Nah, she's a corker!"
I was pleased to know that I amused Mike. To me, that would be like a lowly comedienne getting Robin Williams to think you're funny. What an honor! But at the same time, it saddened me. It made me frustrated to think that, all these years of living in the same town--and we hardly saw each other. I wish our families would have done more things together. I know that life simply got in the way. They were busy, we were busy. Hard to do things when your kids are vastly different ages, etc. Still, I'm glad to have known Mike. To know he cared about what I thought and wrote is probably one of the coolest things...EVER. So, cheers Mike. Oh, and did you hear the one about....?
There's a blue Mercury Grand Marquis out in my driveway that Mike used to own. He sold it to Steve Allen, who sold it to me. Has this blue bug spoiler in front with a little cutout so you can still see the crown on the hood. Looks like a pimp wagon. I worked with Dot at OC for years. They're good-to-the-core folks.
ReplyDeleteSorry for your loss Rachel. The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to reach out to whatever family (real or voluntary) is nearby. God calls us to be in relationship with one another and while the internet is great, nothing beats sitting around talking and laughing together. It's been so long since I've gotten to hear one of your jokes in person, here's hoping we can make that happen some day soon!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome. I bet Stephen and Philip would think it funny that his car is still around. Mike and Dot were so much fun.
ReplyDeleteAlisha--I would love to see you. Maybe if you ever visit near here, I can see you. Hard to travel when your kid can't be in a car for much more than 15 minutes without freaking out.