Happy Birthday Florentina
Florentina receiving the Cavalcanti award prior to her graduation in 2008
Today is Florentina’s birthday.
She is the last in the family to celebrate her birthday since Andrew died.
The first was Robert, then me, then Hugh and now her.
We are a very close family, we do everything together, and to not have one of us at such important times is painful. It is a reminder, if one was needed, that Andrew is no longer on this plane of existence.
To cheer us up yesterday, (I have a questionable sense of humor) I told Hugh and Florentina how I had heard death explained somewhere.
It goes like this:
Imagine you go to see a movie. When you get there you sit down like everybody else. But after watching for a while you realize that you don’t like this movie and you get up and leave. Now the other people in the movie theatre see you leave and they get upset. And they organize a funeral for you.
Now that would be really funny, wouldn’t it?
Anyway, I don’t know about you, but Hugh and Florentina laughed. They didn’t bend over laughing, but they did laugh.
It is restaurant week in New York and to celebrate Florentina’s birthday, today we are going to have lunch at Spice Market in downtown Manhattan. The food is absolutely glorious and the restaurant itself is a nice place to be in and relax.
But as it always happens on occasions such as this, we can’t help think and say:
“Andrew would have loved this.”
Yes he would have loved it, and so will we.
Happy Birthday Florentina
We All Love You
Tags: Andrew, andrew williamson-noble, Florentina, Happy Birthday, Manhattan Restaurant Week, Restaurant Week, Spice Market
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July 28, 2010 at 12:25 pm
I love your “questionable” sense of humor! I read the explanation of death you wrote and had the most unique reaction. I finished reading. No reaction…then as I kept reading your post an unanticipated gaffaw kind of burped out and became a chuckle. That stopped and then as I really visualized the scenario I really laughed, aloud…and stopped…and laughed aloud thinking Michael would find it funny…then laughed again imagining your family laughing at death-related situations imagining your somewhat like us. Solicitation phone call for Michael. I heard my youngest tell my husband about his response one time: “Michael, oh he’s not here he’s
dead” And overheard them laughing and swapping stories and found myself laughing. And I’m laughing as I write at the absurdity of it all. It feels like a Monty Python movie! Lol. I guess I have a “questionable” sense of humor too.
July 28, 2010 at 5:11 pm
I call it a sense of the ridiculous. Andrew had it too. I am happy to hear you laughing. When you come to the Fair I have a few had “stories” that’ll make you laugh.;)
July 28, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Its called black humor too isnt it?
Is this an excuse for a black poem on suicide?
Falling Upwards
In The Bridge there is a shot of a tall longhaired man falling backwards
The camera turns away at the last minute as he enters the water
Another man talks about how he survived changing his mind as he fell
The sequel to The Bridge is to run the film backwards so that all those who hit the water rise up again to live
July 28, 2010 at 8:57 pm
I suppose black humor is another way to describe it.
If I could get my son back on the 10th floor of the library and back to his bed… If there is a way… please someone let me know, I am listening!
July 29, 2010 at 12:08 pm
I love your sense of humor! It reminds me of greek tragedies, black comedy, drs, nurses and law enforcement! Who joke to break the seriousness of the situations their in. At least in the movie they see you leave!
Much of the grief and pain associated with suicide is the inability to talk to the loved one; say goodbye; or the opportunity to change their mind!! Or even find out why they feel their situation is hopeless.
July 29, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Yes. I would love to have a conversation with Andrew. Talk about everything that happened that led him to take such actions. I would like to know where he found the courage and desperation, how did he feel, what was it like. And then after we have talked it all out, work out a way to go back to “normal” with our beloved Andrew in our midst, embraced by our love.
As for sense of humor, you should hear what we feel entitled to joke about in private.