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It has been 15 years today since my father, Karl Harold Brasic passed away from cancer at 45 years of age. I still think of him often and miss him very much. It is raining here this morning, as it was 5 years ago when I went to Chase, MI on the 10th anniversary of his death to stand beside the small stream that runs through the farm where he lived as a boy. Fifteen years ago it was also raining when we went to place his ashes into a stream as he requested before he died. He said the stream running through the small stand of woods behind their farm was a place he went to as a boy when things were tough at home. The place is different now, the land is sub-divided and a new house was built in the woodlot when I passed by the area last year with my son Logan on his 13th birthday father-son camping trip. My father was a brilliant man, though his life was fraught with difficulty. I still remember playing chess with him when I was a child. He could play a whole game with his back turned from the board using his memory to keep the pieces ordered in his mind. Once in a game I made a mistake in moving his piece and three moves later he caught it, turned to look at the board, and showed me where my mistake was in moving in the previous turns. His childhood was difficult, and it marked much of his life. He and I didn't have a good relationship until I was in college, but we had one for a few years until he died. I am thankful for that. Never assume there is time to mend things with those you love: Sometimes there is less time than you expect. I am also thankful that I now have children; they are my second chance to have a good father child relationship, and I try hard to make that chance count.
My dad loved nature, especially the ocean and forests. He was a pilot, SCUBA diver, adventurer, avid gardener, and a very good cook. He got me started in SCUBA and in flying lessons. I promised him before he died that I would someday finish my own pilot’s license. Whenever I make soup or spaghetti for my family I think of him. I am teaching my kids to cook the way he taught me. With a little luck I will pass on all the good things to them he taught me.
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Midi file is "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas I close my eyes. Only for a moment and the moments gone. All my dreams, pass before my eyes and curiosity. Dust in the wind. All we are is dust in the wind. Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea. All we do, crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see. Dust in the wind. All we are is dust in the wind. (Instrumental Overture) Now don't hang on. Nothing lasts forever but the Earth and sky. It slips away, and all your money won't another minute buy. Dust in the wind. All we are is dust in the wind. Dust in the wind. Everything is dust in the wind.
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