Saturday, January 22, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
My Letter to the Editor of the Mount Airy News
To the Editor,
On behalf of my family, that of the late John H. Edinger Jr., of Mount Airy, I want to thank the city of Mount Airy for all that it has done for us in the wake of the unspeakable tragedy that befell us this past Christmas Eve.
Specifically, I want to thank Mayor Deborah Cochran for her genuine concern and words of comfort. I want to thank the Mount Airy Police Department, the Mount Airy Fire Department, the Mount Airy Rescue Squad, and the Surry County Emergency Medical Service. Though we wish with all our hearts that we had never needed their help, my family and I are grateful for the exceptional service each of them provided.
I want to thank Pastor Roger Gilbert and the members of the First Baptist Church of Mount Airy. Dr. Gilbert visited us, helped our family get the healing process started, and preached the double funeral for my stepfather, John and my brother Michael C. Edinger. The church members’ kind deeds, before the funeral and after, will long be remembered. Thanks also for the services provided by Moody’s Funeral Services. They helped us with much more than the funeral on New Year’s Day.
Our family, especially John, has always loved Mount Airy. As to the biggest reason why, that was demonstrated afresh, to each of us, as we experienced an overflow of unfeigned care and concern, from so many, in the wake of John’s and Mike’s untimely deaths. There are scores of nearby neighbors and friends from throughout the city and surrounding area that were so kind to us. There is obviously not enough space here to thank them all by name, but their neighborliness and simple acts of kindness are among the most appreciated gifts we, as a family, have ever received.
Tony W. Howard Jr.
Augusta, Ga.
Read more: Mount Airy News - Letters to the Editor
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Why Can't Tom Ricks Say What He Thinks?
OK, so here I am, minding my own business, trying to do a little reading and get my mind off current events for awhile. I'm not speaking of just the recent events in my own family, but of the national tragedy this past weekend in Tucson, Arizona. One of the sources I follow via my Google Reader is Tom Rick's blog, The Best Defense, published in Foreign Policy magazine. It caught my eye today that Ricks had posted a short blog yesterday on the Tuscon shooting and opined therein about the possibility of revisions to our Second Amendment.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
What I Am Learning About Grief, Part II
It’s been two whole weeks since Jack called me at 2:02 p.m., on Christmas Day, and left a message on my phone. I don’t think Jack has ever called me before. We’ve always kept track of each other through Mom and John. Sometimes our paths crossed when visiting at Mom’s or Grandma’s at the same time. For sure, our telephone conversations have been so rare that Jack felt he had to identify himself. In his message, he said this is “Jack, Jack Edinger.” As if I wouldn't know who "Jack" was!
His message was: “Sorry to call you on Christmas, but I’ve got very bad news … something happened last night, Mom’s OK, but we need to talk to you.”
Thursday, January 6, 2011
What I Am Learning About Grief
This past Christmas, I experienced the loss of two family members. My stepfather and my brother died on Christmas Eve. Their deaths were sudden, violent, and tragic. My stepfather was murdered by my brother who was later shot dead by police. Immediate contributing factors were, we believe, my brother’s manic depressiveness and abuse of alcohol and methamphetamines, all of which doubtlessly exacerbated his reaction to criticism of his cooking skills: (it was an squabble over burnt “tater tots” which precipitated the “family dispute” which rapidly escalated, first to Mike’s physical assault of my mother, then of my stepfather, and finally to his resorting to the use of a gun as a final solution to the quarrel). Events from Mike’s early childhood, the divorce of his parents, for example, and some of his experiences in day care, may have distantly or indirectly influenced his mindset and behavior. Exactly what led him to react so violently and to murder his adopted father, whom he loved, and to resist police intervention by the extreme measure of firing at them, we may never fully comprehend. In the wake of these two deaths, as word spread and as the family gathered, I heard mentioned several times about this thing called grief and the “grieving process.”
Something more easily felt than explained, grief was in the air. One could literally feel it. It was on the lips of family members. It was the topic of pastoral counseling. We all felt it, we still feel it, and probably will continue to feel it for quite some time. Now that the funeral has passed, my thoughts have turned to examining just what it is, this grief.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Thankful for John
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| John H. Edinger, Jr., my stepfather (Jan 5, 1940 - Dec 24, 2010) |
For Christmas this past year, John was taken away. Quite suddenly so. Gone in a flash, in an incident no one saw coming, two hundred and sixty-three miles away, at his home in Mount Airy, North Carolina. I learned of it in a Christmas Day phone call from my brother, Jack.
We had his funeral to start the new year. In four more days, John would have turned 71.
How fortunate I have been to have enjoyed these last 40 years knowing this man. Selfless is one of the best words that describes him. He gave me so much, taught me so much more, and left before I could hardly even begin to repay him.
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