JoJo posted a symbolic gesture
Sunday, March 5, 2023
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I’m providing herein my reading notes from the words spoken at the gathering for my dear late brother … in case anyone would be interested in same …
Thank you everyone for coming here today to celebrate Todd.
Please continue to enjoy some nibbles while I say a few words. I’m not one for public speaking so please forgive me if I stumble but I want to do what Todd would have done for me.
Folks here will have their own memories of Todd. Lots of mine involve our road trips and the music we played in the car. So, I will be playing a few songs over the luncheon and though they may not be in line with what you remember him to be, they are some of the songs we listened to now and then. Maybe it was only me enjoying them, not sure but he never complained.
My brother had many struggles during his lifetime with people, places and things. I am well aware that some may have taken the long way around to avoid passing him on the sidewalk but I’m not here to speak about that. What I’m here to talk about is what I will remember.
I will remember a brother and sister who had many outdoor adventures during family camping trips both on land and in the water.
I will remember a brother who would take the blame for things his rotten sister had done and expect no favors in return.
I will remember a bother who would let his sister do what sister’s do – I’d say clean up a bit! Get a haircut! Quit smoking so much! -- and he’d never say a word back. Maybe he was tuning me out, not sure.
I will remember giving my bother heck for 20 minutes in the morning for some fiasco he found himself in and then in the afternoon he would call me to say I’m making myself fish for supper if you go out can you drop off some tarter sauce.
I will remember a brother who would get home from work at 4 am and then be ready by 6:35 am to go with me. Not once but 32 times for my radiation appointments so I didn’t have to be alone and so Daveykins didn’t have to miss work.
I will remember a brother who I’d be so angry at for chauffeuring him around all day and then he would say can we just stop at the pot store for 5 minutes so I can run in.
I will remember a man who whenever you needed his help, he was always available after work or weekends didn’t matter.
I will remember doing my sister thing and scolding Todd because he took so long at the grocery store. Todd the Turtle I’d call him. But now I realize it was an escape for him and I will remember that I should have been more understanding and more kind.
Animals seemed to be drawn to Todd like a magnet. Dogs, cats, birds. You name it. One summer when he was staining my fence I saw this rabbit chewing on grass and looking at him then another hopped into the yard and both just stayed there for quite some time watching him with his brush and roller, cigarette hanging from his lips. I joked with him and said “geez Todd you have an audience!” He turned around and said “That’s because animals don’t care that I’m ugly they love me anyways”. Truly, how awful he thought of himself as ugly cause I sure didn’t.
My brother wasn’t one of those fluffy white bread sandwich types with not much in between. He was what I’d call a full on Big Mac! Lots of mess at times but solid and true to himself and others.
Speaking of sandwiches, I will always remember our discussions as kids and later adults over our dad’s soggy sardine sandwiches! Like who sends their kids to school with soggy sardine sandwiches for their lunch?! Horrible!
Todd had some sad places within his mind with which he battled daily but what I will remember is that we don’t always need to understand why people do things at times but need to be more understanding of the things that they do.
Well, my brother, I will miss your 4 am weather and traffic reports with which every time you’d say tell Dave to drive safe today.
Thanks for your time and God be with you all.
