In today's Unfit to Print, I offer excerpts from a piece I wrote just after my Mom passed away. I share it as a reminder to us all to support each other as we navigate our worlds of grief.
I love this so much, Melissa. It’s unbearably sad and beautiful. And everything you wrote about grief is unbearably true. But we bear it all anyway. Because otherwise, what would life even be?
We should talk sometime and write a book about miracles I can’t wait to book but you can. Skeletons in my closet I can’t do it alone. PS your family says hello all of us
And you were also talking about Jesus! You know I’m an electrician when I was 24 years old I got blown off the side of the house. I took 120 V to ground off the transformer when is Gigi electrical service on the side of the house. It felt like a tractor-trailer truck hit me in the chest! The first thing I see was Jesus literally he was in the sky just staring at me he looks just like you see him on the cross does he entry on the side he was an altar boy uniform to me I need a gold scar from his knees wrapped around his neck and a couple other gold Medallions that I can remember . It was very simple what he was wearing nothing extravagant. Before I knew it out of it I was still holding the line in my hand as my other hand walked the side of the house. Jesus is real it wasn’t my time the weekend or not. Every lineman I’ve ever told the story to says I should’ve been dead. Because that’s a 13,800 volt primary line that goes to the secondary breaks it down to 120 240 Bolt. There is no breaker like you have in your house the only breakers on the minds telephone poles that shut it off. It was a miracle I lived. Once I snapped out of it I had a complete anxiety attack because I’ll be sitting by myself. I looked at myself and said if you don’t finish this job polack will never go back to it climb back on the roof barehanded tightened up the knuckle taped him up and finished it. This is a true story. Listen knows about my father too he was an American hero that saved a kid from drowning in Holyoke Massachusetts. He told me a story about the whole thing that happened he was underwater for 15 minutes Tommy was like today to. But something pushed him back. Said to me just like this Todd I never told your mother than you should music this is how it was I was there was was A round light rake in the closer I went to it louder something was screaming at me to turn around my father dead. At the end of the day. He saved the boy. He was commended by the President of the United States President Nixon letters. And affection foreign wars by the commander-in-chief 1971. By the way my birthday is April 9, 1972. And I have a friend that’s a priest that passed away on me and all she always told me was always you need to know Todd has to have faith it doesn’t matter what it is
Love the picture of you and your mom
This is such a tender and beautiful essay. ❤️
So so beautiful, friend. So many amazing, hard but soft and poignant moments in here. And "in here" [tapping my chest]. 😍
I love this so much, Melissa. It’s unbearably sad and beautiful. And everything you wrote about grief is unbearably true. But we bear it all anyway. Because otherwise, what would life even be?
We should talk sometime and write a book about miracles I can’t wait to book but you can. Skeletons in my closet I can’t do it alone. PS your family says hello all of us
And you were also talking about Jesus! You know I’m an electrician when I was 24 years old I got blown off the side of the house. I took 120 V to ground off the transformer when is Gigi electrical service on the side of the house. It felt like a tractor-trailer truck hit me in the chest! The first thing I see was Jesus literally he was in the sky just staring at me he looks just like you see him on the cross does he entry on the side he was an altar boy uniform to me I need a gold scar from his knees wrapped around his neck and a couple other gold Medallions that I can remember . It was very simple what he was wearing nothing extravagant. Before I knew it out of it I was still holding the line in my hand as my other hand walked the side of the house. Jesus is real it wasn’t my time the weekend or not. Every lineman I’ve ever told the story to says I should’ve been dead. Because that’s a 13,800 volt primary line that goes to the secondary breaks it down to 120 240 Bolt. There is no breaker like you have in your house the only breakers on the minds telephone poles that shut it off. It was a miracle I lived. Once I snapped out of it I had a complete anxiety attack because I’ll be sitting by myself. I looked at myself and said if you don’t finish this job polack will never go back to it climb back on the roof barehanded tightened up the knuckle taped him up and finished it. This is a true story. Listen knows about my father too he was an American hero that saved a kid from drowning in Holyoke Massachusetts. He told me a story about the whole thing that happened he was underwater for 15 minutes Tommy was like today to. But something pushed him back. Said to me just like this Todd I never told your mother than you should music this is how it was I was there was was A round light rake in the closer I went to it louder something was screaming at me to turn around my father dead. At the end of the day. He saved the boy. He was commended by the President of the United States President Nixon letters. And affection foreign wars by the commander-in-chief 1971. By the way my birthday is April 9, 1972. And I have a friend that’s a priest that passed away on me and all she always told me was always you need to know Todd has to have faith it doesn’t matter what it is
Your brother and I were just talking about your mother