Another holiday is upon us. There will be no question this year of Joe attending some family gathering back East. And despite not usually being with my family this time of year, gathering with others will still remind me of who it is that can no longer join in with such festivities.
Mostly I notice his absence when I’m alone for extended times. The compulsion to ask my parents how Joe is doing was such a regular part of our phone conversations for years. Now, I have to stop myself from asking them.
Last night, I did my occasional ritual of late, that of plugging in his laptop and opening his gmail account. Browsing through it I came across a few exchanges between Joe and his editor in New York. Then I sent her an email to let her know that Joe had taken his life in May. Got a nice reply from her this morning.
It has been just over 6 months now.
Old Days by the 70s band Chicago regularly pops into my head when I think of Joe.
I miss you brother Joe.