So, time goes by then

I think it is a little bit of Northern jargon to start a sentence with 'so' and to end it with 'then'.  I'm not sure if I've always done that, or if it is one of the many little things about living in Northern Wisconsin that become part of life without much notice.

So, I was thinking about Ivory Soap this morning as I showered.

It has a long lived reputation of being 'pure', I guess I don't really know if that is true, but based on my experience, I believe it to be.

When Dad stayed here during what turned out to be the last weeks of his life, 

he brought a bar of Ivory soap along.  His skin was sensitive and he preferred to use Ivory.

I was in the room with him when he opened the box and he got this big smile and announced how good that soap smelled.  "Nothing like opening a fresh box of Ivory".

So, now I'm using up his soap, but I'm guessing it will become a staple around here, if for no other reason, to remind me of that morning with Dad and his pure delight in the smell of that soap.

So, on Monday, it was just 4 months since Dad died.  

Time is a weird thing,
a person's sense of how fast or slow time goes is fleeting & sometimes conflicting.  

Often while I feel something was forever ago, it also seems like just yesterday.

So, while it seems like just yesterday that Dad was smiling and opening that soap,

it feels like forever since he was here to talk to.

How each of us feel about the passing of time is an individual perception.

I saw a friend yesterday, whom I had not seen since Dad died, and in the process of accepting his condolences and answering a few questions, tears popped into my eyes.

So, 4 months still leaves a fresh wound in many ways.

So, time goes by then.
Hearts heal, that is good.
Memories fade, that is bad.

Wanda and Wally
1959

I hope I never forget the joy of Dad smelling of that soap.