A Gift From Beyond

Ben Starr on the bulletin board: The Air Force Lieutenant. 

The Hollywood Writer. The Bar Mitzvah Boy. 

As I continue to celebrate my birthday week, milking it for all I can, I pause to celebrate my sweet father, who passed away four years ago today. The fact that his yahrzeit falls a few days after my birthday might not seem like the best timing for a comedy writer. On the other hand, it was so Ben Starr of him to skip my birthday as his departure date. So, considerate man that he was, he waited a few days before taking off for the Big Deli in the Sky, where I imagine they serve a bottomless bowl of matzoh ball soup and corned beef to die for. Yeah, I went there. I just can't help myself. He raised us to find humor in everything, even the toughest things. I miss him like crazy. I channel him daily. He always said the secret to getting older was to keep having birthdays. He forgot to mention that he might not always be here to share them. I had to figure that part out on my own. He's forever in my heart and in my soul. Every time I think of him, I smile. His memory is the gift that keeps on giving, which makes perfect sense. He was the ultimate giver of joy and laughter, and now he's a gift from beyond.