Thomas Henry, the Explorer:
He walks the road ahead,
In the undiscovered country,
Learning the calls of the dodo,
Tracing the prints of the sabertooth.
He does not forget,
Nor will he be forgotten.
Love knows no time or distance,
Love knows only truth.
He is with us, with the unfurling of the flower.
I hear his voice vibrating in the rustle of the leaves.
I see his shadow pacing so we need not walk alone.
The connection is unbroken; that’s what I believe.
So while we weep, we smile,
And hold him in our hearts,
Because we don’t forget him,
We’ll never truly part.
by Helen Kathryn Henry Krummenacker (my wife)
Yesterday, I went to Stockton with my wife to attend the “Celebration Of Life” her mother was holding for her late husband, my father-in-law Thomas Henry.  It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever been to.  This was not a memorial service, it was exactly what the name says.  We celebrated this wonderful man’s life and how he touched each of our lives.  I had no idea what to expect, but both my wife and I needed to be there for her mother, her brother, the rest of the family and ourselves.  It was a moving experience.
A slide show played on 2 computers, showing photos from throughout his life, while music he loved played in the background.  A table was set up with objects from his life, a t-shirt from the Atlanta Olympics that he and my mother-in-law went to see in person, a medal he got for taking part in a marathon, a camera (he was a fantastic photographer), objects he’d picked up on his many visits to the woods and mountains (he loved the outdoors) and many other things that showed just how much he did in one lifetime.
Outside, the garden had been restored to the way he had envisioned and worked so hard to make happen before he became too ill to tend to it.  Amidst the flowers, were easels with some of the photos he’d taken and even won awards for a few of them.  There were a few tears but mostly joy and talk about this wonderful man who lived life so fully and did so many things.  In turn the event reminded all of us that we all still have each other and so much more life ahead, that he’d want us to live to the fullest.  It was invigorating and healing all in one shot.
He was a huge supporter and inspiration to me.  The laptop I had that recently died on me, had come from him.  And now, his desktop computer has been handed down to me.  It is on this new computer that I write this and will be finishing my second book “The Ship” on and then write more stories and novels.  I can feel him at times as I work on this machine and I can sense him nodding in approval.  Thanks Dad, for everything.  Especially for still being there for all of us in your own way.
Thanks for reading this folks.  I’ll get back to my usual type of posts about writing in my next entry.  Take care and keep writing.