Last Sunday would have been my father-in-law’s Dave’s 81st birthday. He was a wickedly funny, mischievous, brilliant, vibrant, joyous, jovial gentleman and his loss has left a huge hole in our lives.
While it can’t make up for him not being here with us, each year we’ve tried to come up with a special way to celebrate his day and his memory.
For this February, we decided on a nationwide international coffee (or beverage of your choice) toast with friends and family.
David and I were in Augusta, visiting his mom, Linda, so we started the morning with our java tribute to Dave with special mugs depicting the logo from one of his favorite submarines, the Haddock. We all have official Bechtel mugs from the company where he worked, but we forgot to bring them, so we printed out submarine logos and taped them to plain white mugs.
Over in Birmingham, my sister, her husband and my niece Livvy, made a toast with slushies!
Over in Chelsea, my parents chimed in with a jug of vino!
In California, my husband’s sister, Debbie and her husband Joe raised a coffee salute:
along with Debbie’s son (Dave’s grandson) Joey and his wife Jessica!
And across the pond in England, Debbie’s daughter Alison hoisted a cuppa!
Sister-cousin Patti proffered the coff in Huntsville, Alabama.
And in Michigan, sister-cousin Christa re-branded Dave’s favorite beverage, in a toast that was a tonic to her feelings.
So here’s to Dave: best husband, Dad, G’Pa, uncle, father-in-law and friend:Ā We miss you but you are always part of us. And there is no whining.Ā We promise.
We love you.
Salute!
Drunk on Life 
Thank you,Kim, for the wonderful Drunk on Life about Dave . He would have loved it and all of you for doing that. I did!
glassy~
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We all miss him! Sending you lots of hugs and love.
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Salud from Syracuse, and as we’d say in our Polish-American toasts, Kimi, na zdrowie, to Dave.
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Thank you, Mark!
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Oh, I love this idea! What a wonderful way to honor a loved one. š
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Last year, we did “love locks” on the bridge over the Augusta Canal in Augusta – it’s like the locks people padlock on to the Pont de lāArchevĆŖchĆ© bridge in Paris and then throw the key in the water, symbolizing eternal love. I have been meaning to write about it – it was a really incredible experience.
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What a lovely way to remember your clearly beloved, Dave.
Slainte Mhath (Scots Gaelic for Good Health) to you all from the Hebrides, toasting you and Dave with tea š
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Thank you, Anne. That’s so very kind of you. It’s good to learn the phrase. David and I are both of Scottish descent (he’s a Douglass, I’m a Ferguson). Can that be used as a toast for Burn’s Supper?
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The Gaelic toast can be used anytime including a Burns supper. It’s pronounced slanji ca. Cheers š
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Spelling mistake in my above comment! Not ‘ca’ but ‘va’ Sorry!
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