Brian Weiss suggests that when one passes the soul seeks another person to inhabit, usually an about to be born baby. Well Maria, my next door neighbor had a grandchild about a month after Leon died. I hypothesize that that infant, Joey is where Leon’s soul now resides. A sweet, bright and curious baby.

During this year I have been part of a meditation group led by Rabbi Michael Weisser at the Free Synagogue of Flushing. It has been a very healing experience. I cherish it. The Rabbi was using a watch which he propped in front of him to keep time. So I gave him a clock that Leon had been using to time his meditation. Now Leon (at least his clock) is in the midst of us every Tuesday evening. The one light in the room seems to shine upon this clock. I feel his presence.

This year I have undertake various spiritual and hopefully healing journeys. I believe that Leon is guiding my choices and is in some way participating in these experiences.

Namaste dear departed friend, and all.

Click on the image above to read the article.

Every once in a while a picture pops up and I spend a moment thinking about my father and what it means that he’s gone. I come up empty. I have nothing.

But this blog gives me a place to make something of his life, at least in the form of words and pictures.

This picture must have been taken in the early 60s. It’s a gathering of my mother’s family. In the top row: Lucy Kiesler, Leon Winer, Eve Winer, Ken Kiesler. Seated: Rudy Kiesler, Peter Winer, Dave Winer.

Dad wearing a Frontier t-shirt somewhere in the tropics:

There’s a meme going around about fathers and the coolest things they did when you were growing up.

Since Father’s Day on October 3, I guess I’ve been reflecting on this stuff more than usual, and I have a story prepared. But first, my father actually had an opinion about this, he told a story that embarassed me about how he taught me to kiss. But I’m sure I thought it was cool when I was a toddler. Kids go for that kind of stuff. But the word we’re looking for is “cool” and from my point of view, as an adult, here’s the coolest thing my dad did.

Probably 1970 or 71. I was more than a bit of a rebellious teenager. So one day I got suspended from high school for bringing a bottle of wine to school. I was drinking with some friends in the yard before home room when the Dean of Discipline, Joseph Cotter, comes walking out, takes the bottle, escorts me to his office and calls my father to come get me. My dad drives to the Bronx from Queens, and I thought for sure I’m really going to catch it now, cause not only was I drinking wine in school, but it was his wine. I had stolen it from him. Oy.

Well, my dad comes in, and instead of giving me shit, he tells off Cotter. He says why don’t you leave the kids alone. My chin dropped to the floor. I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears. I thought I had moved to a different planet. The Dean thought so too, he was speechless. (He and I were enemies, I was, as you might imagine, and a major troublemaker. He thought he had me, but heh he no he didn’t.)

So that has to be the coolest thing. On the drive home we talked about baseball and the weather, and he never punished me for taking the wine.

Update: Cotter died in Y2K.

“Many years ago Leon acquired an outer LLBean jacket the he liked very much. So much that he wore it every chance he could. In the neighborhood, in the city, on vacations and even skiing even though he had a proper ski outfit. After a while I was finding it excessive and asked replace it.

“He tried to accomodate me and first asked LLBean if they had another one exactly the same. Well it was no longer in stock but they had a similar model. Leon tried it. Was not satisfied. He went to different vendors and sent all the versions back. He continued to wear his original jacket. It was machine washable so looked relatively presentable.

“Then I had a stroke of luck. The zipper broke. Now he would have to replace it. Well not exactly. He complained to LLBean and they replaced the zipper. So I gave up and he wore it to his dying days.”

Leon with a huge cup of coffee and pie, after a long day of hiking with Eve in the Swiss Alps.

Click on the small version for the full-size picture.