A Tribute to My Father, Earl Bosher

There's something that happens when you realize that someone's time here on earth is drawing to an end. A shift takes place deep in the heart, and all the mistakes - the hurtful things of the past gently fade away, like dandelion petals on the wind. And, if you're very lucky, you have an opportunity to reconcile those hurtful things, and say all the things you need to say, while you still have that precious chance to say them. You get to hold on tightly for one, final moment while that truth settles in--takes hold and takes root in the new ground that's been tilled with the acknowledgment of regret and the love of forgiveness. When those two moments meet and pass one another, then each can let go and know that all is well. What remains is peace. Those final words shared with that loved one are like a blanket that covers you with comfort, when the need for comfort arises. Then, one can sit happily with their memories...

I made this video in loving memory of my father, Leslie Earl Bosher, who passed from this world one year ago today: August 4, 2009. The irony in his passing, is that he did so on my husband's birthday. So, I do not mourn this day. Instead, I celebrate it, because the two most important men in my life share this day as a significant, common denominator: one came into this world, and the other left it to go to his final resting place on this day. The magnitude of this fact is not lost on me, and the one thing I do know is that there are no such things as coincidences.

There are many things I can say about my father, but I'll limit it to just two: he was a good man; he may not have always done things perfectly, but he always did what he thought was right and fair. There are many public accolades he deserved in the final years of his life, that fell short when they needed to be delivered. However, to his children, and the friends who truly loved him, we know that there are many people who would not be where they are today if it had not been for his belief and support in them. Each benefitted from the blessing in knowing him. He was the working man and woman's best friend, having spent 45 years as a tireless advocate in the labor movement. He dined with Presidents, Senators, Congressmen and World Leaders, but, in the end, he died surrounded by the ones who truly loved him: his family, with nothing left unspoken or unsettled. It's the best that any of us can ask.
My father died knowing that with all his personal sacrifice, he had made a difference and left the world a better place than when he came into it. And, as one of his favorite song's lyrics tell: "the record shows he took the blows and did it his way..."

song is "The Promise" by Secret Garden
excerpt from "Intimations of Immortality" by William Wordsworth