Catherine Connors is a mother, writer and recovering academic who traded the lecture hall for the playroom and discovered that university students and preschoolers have much the same attention span. She still dips her toes into academic waters by writing the occasional scholarly article about the place of motherhood in Western philosophy, but mostly now she changes diapers and wipes noses and indulges in long reflections on whether Yo Gabba Gabba is a harbinger of the decline of western civilization. Oh, and she blogs: in addition to Bad Mother blogging at BeliefNet, she is, among other things, the author of HerBadMother.com, Managing Editor of MamaPop, moderator of Her Bad Mother’s Basement, co-founder and co-editor of WeCovet, Contributing Editor at BlogHer, and (deep breath) founder of and contributor to Canada Moms Blog. And in her spare time… oh, wait. She doesn’t have spare time. But she’s okay with that.
Two weeks ago, a week or so before my father died, I read a post, as part of the Community Keynote at BlogHer. My father figured in the story that I told in that post. It was a post that was mostly about my mother, but my father figured centrally, and his role in that story demonstrates what an extraordinary man he was, and is, and will always be.
And that, now, is one of the most important things about that story, for me.
Below, the full video of the Community Keynote. My reading is towards the end, the second-last keynote of the night. I post it here in his honor.
posted August 10, 2009 at 10:47 am
Dear Catherine,
I’m terribly sorry for the loss of your father. My dad died 17 years ago, and I miss him every day. He wasn’t perfect, but I try to see how his good qualities live on in me and my kids. There will lots of details and responsibilities to shoulder — but in the process, please take care of yourself too.
Love, Wendy
posted August 10, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Catherine,
So very sorry to hear about your father’s death. No matter how old one gets (and I am in my 60′s), it is never easy to lose a parent. My Father died in 2005, my Mother in 2002. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of them. Life continues, but that special hurt never really leaves you. Time helps, memories certainly help, and you will continue. Your Father will be remembered in the stories you tell your beautiful children, and in your heart. Take it one day at a time.