Five Years After — Remembering Jean

Gabe with bouquet at Jean's grave
Saturday February 17, 2018

    Saturday marked five years exactly since Jean passed, and my elder son Gabe came with me to Oakmont cemetery to tell her our news, and thank her for her blessings.  No, we're not daft, but Oakmont is a beautiful spot with expansive views and interesting landscaping, and it is easy to imagine her presence there. So we just go to her grave and start talking.

    Gabe's news is very good indeed.  Of course he's reading piles of serious books and pursuing his writing, Gabe is Gabe, and he's also training to run a half-marathon.  And, Tuesday he'll start a job with a solar panel company.  He

Everything in the bouquet was from 

Wood St. — Jean appreciated the white 

blossoms from our plum tree, and was 

glad we did not bring her one of those 

lifeless florist bouquets with large, perfect,  

odorless roses.

aced the interview, and likes the idea of getting his foot in the door in the green technology industry.  Jean has certainly loved hearing about all the positive developments in his life over the past two years.

    And about Gabe's kid brother Sam.  Saturday marked two years, five months, and fourteen days that Sam has been clean and sober.  He's working a full-time job, two part time jobs, supporting his son Nate, and volunteering as a drug counselor and sobriety instructor to boot.  A huge change from the addict nightmare, when he appeared to be pounding on death's door demanding to be let in.

    Nothing so dramatic to report about my life, but I did have a blessing to thank Jean for.  Being an adjunct Computer Science prof is an ideal job for me, except for one little thing.  Or actually not so little — you need to be a great self-editor, tests with no typos, that sort of thing.  Not exactly my strong suit, but editing was something Jean was uncannily good at.  And the first midterm of the SFSU semester was scheduled for Friday the 16th.  Help!

    It seemed like we communicated a lot last week.  Most nights she appeared in my dreams, big productions with journeys and intense conversations, where she told me she would not come back to me, and seemed to be urging me to face forward.  During the days, I told her "If I can't have you back, could I at least internalize a bit of your editing skills?"  That is if I do my part of course, multiple proofs, etc.  It seemed we struck a deal.  There was only one questionable question on the midterm Friday, and that was just because the format was slightly different from others on the same topic.  Thanks much, Jean Mary Lewis.