Glasses

I've been wearing glasses since my dad died. The act of putting them on, seeing through them, cleaning them, taking them off - all reminds me of my dad. My dad wore glasses everyday of his life since he was a teenager. He only took them off to sleep, shower, swim, or read. I was constantly cleaning his glasses. There's nothing worse than dirty lenses with smudges on them. And it was one of the few things I could do for him in the hospital to make sure he could see.

I've been a contact lens wearer for years. I'm nearsighted just like my dad. I can see fine up close by everything is blurry far away. I used to only wear my glasses at night. Yet I started wearing glasses during the day when my eyes were getting dry (computer, crying, late nights at the hospital) and it was just way more convenient. No hassle of saline solution to clean them and store them and take them out & put them in twice a day. Since my dad's death I've continued to wear my glasses everyday.

After my dad died, my mom brought some of his belongings to the funeral home, including his glasses. When I saw his glasses (that were tagged with his name) I burst into tears. They so reminded me on him. He always had them on. Seeing them on the table meant he was dead and wouldn't be needing them anymore. My mom asked the funeral Director what her opinion was on burying my dad with his glasses on. She replied, "Did he wear glasses all the time? Well then it wouldn't look like him if he weren't wearing them." At his viewing he was wearing his glasses & he looked like himself...my dad.

I remember the sound of the clink his glasses made when he took them off & put them on the nightstand before reading a book or going to sleep. When I hear the same clink when I set my glasses down I think of my dad.

It's a memory that comforts me. It keeps his memory alive.

I'm getting ready to drive out to Riverside National Cemetery today to visit my dad's grave. I'll be wearing my glasses and thinking of him.