Here’s a letter I wrote to Pat and Stephanie in early 1991, found in Patrick’s files. Pretty boring stuff, but I do mention John’s death and Mary’s suicide.
Continue reading “JP to Patrick and Stephanie (2 Jan 1991)”Letter from JDD to Patrick (26 Dec 1968)
This letter is happier than its predecessor.
Letter from JDD to Pat (22 Aug 1968)
Here’s a letter that my dad John wrote to my dad Patrick, in which he describes his hope that Patrick can regain custody of Jennifer and Gretchen.
John D Dillon, RIP, 28 Years Ago Today
On 22 December 1990, my adopted father John D Dillon passed away. He was Patrick’s first father-in-law, Donna’s dad, the man I called Granddaddy when I was a wee tyke.
After my adoption when I was 12, my new parents and I sat down to discuss naming conventions. I’d been calling him Granddaddy but my mom Willie seemed too young and glamorous to have a name like Grandma and we wanted their names to be of the same pattern. Since I was already calling her Willie (short for Wilma), they became “John and Willie” from that point forward.
Meanwhile, they asked what I’d like to do with my own name. I was originally John Patrick Meador. I gave it some thought and finally suggested tacking on Dillon at the end. (Gretchen, Jennifer, and I were all born “Meador” because we popped out of Mother before Patrick discovered the error on his birth certificate.)
Now that I have a grandson, I asked the kids if I can be “Granddaddy” to baby Max. The term is doubly endearing to me: it’s an expression of love for Max, and for John as well, another one of those “circle of life” moments that will carry me through the coming days and years.
My Father Spoke to Me Today
My father spoke to me today
He, whose ashes we buried Continue reading “My Father Spoke to Me Today”
Now It Is Father’s Day 2018
Here in the U.S. today is Father’s Day. I was lucky. I had two dads, Patrick and John.
I lost John in 1990. I still grieve for him, look at his self-portrait and the things he gave me, and ask questions that he can no longer answer, but that loss has lost the harsh edges, worn down and smoothed by liquid time.
Being without Patrick is much more raw, more visceral. He was absent many of my formative years, but never Continue reading “Now It Is Father’s Day 2018”
Barefoot and Pregnant
Here’s the transcription of a conversation with Patrick about my mom and some other family members, recorded on 18 March 2017 in a very noisy restaurant. If there’s interest, I’ll convert the audio file to YouTube so you can hear it.
Patrick: One of the stories I haven’t really worked on, but I’ve got the title: “Barefoot and Pregnant.”
JP: Okay
Patrick: That’s what John Dillon said when he was introduced to me. Continue reading “Barefoot and Pregnant”