Letter, obituary, Xmas cards, and printed pictures from the
funeral visitation and of dad w/Lindsay at Christmas were
sent to dad's best friend and Leiden roommate for years, Dick
Opsomer, who lives in Leidschendam, Netherlands. The cost
was $3.49 and the postal clerk said 2 weeks for delivery.
Today was the first day that mom used a hospital commode in her bedroom. It was not as difficult as I thought it might be. She's comfortable. It's accessible and she doesn't have to work herself around, painstakingly, the bed to get to the bathroom and then get onto the toilet. This will be a lot better.
We had a wonderful visit from hospital cleric, Rev. Scott Lee, a Lutheran minister who did his seminary studies in Berkeley, and who had a real knack for getting mom to talk. She was comfortable with his questioning and she opened up to him. He did not do any proselytizing, he said, up front, that was not his purpose. He stayed a good long time and we have his cell and office contact numbers, as well as his e-mail. He should be back. It was a nice get-to-know you occasion.
In addition to calling Dick Opsomer (011 31 70-3274490) and he answered, clear as a bell ... "Dick Opsomer" and I told him the news and started to feel the emotion well up that always happens when I talk to people that knew and loved my father. It's the human thing to do and it is so natural and yet, inexplicable. His English was worlds above my Dutch but we had a good conversation. I promised to write and I did, shortly after getting off the phone, typing a letter and printing out the obituary as well as photos from the funeral visitation and a picture of dad holding Lindsay at that Christmas over 20 years ago. I was successful after phoning Marli's cell, Gerrit picked up, they're headed to Roanoke to see their other daughter and common-law husband and grandchild, who told me the procedure to call overseas. He pays nothing as he uses Vonage, which I don't understand but I'm so glad it worked and that I got the package off to him. It will arrive after he reads my Dutch greeting for "Happy New Year": Gelukkig Nieuwjaar.
In the evening, I got to wear my santa suspenders again and wear a holiday tie (the one with the reindeer on the front) for a wonderful event at the Queen on N. Market Street, the Sound of Music Sing-a-long. The place was filled and the screen, though small, was big enough and the sound system was superb and the lyrics, which I knew barely any except for the famous ones, flowed along well. The crowd was festive and Linda Lucero was a joy to be with as always. She's just a lot of fun. No pressure. She paid for the tickets ($15 apiece) and got the drinks (which were not cheap ... I got a buzz from 3 Christmas ales and wobbled a few times to the restroom outside and down the hall). The Queen, which reminds me of The Imperial Theatre in Augusta, is quaint, hospitable and I will return. It's an extension of World Cafe Live from Philly, the national radio program hosted by David Dye and broadcast from the University of Pennsylvania public radio station.
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