An anniversary, of sorts

I know that it is more important to celebrate life than death, but when 16 February comes around, I can't not remember that it is the date of my father's death three years ago. In some ways it seems so long ago but there are times when my grief and longing are so acute that it seems just yesterday.

My mother gave me a commemorative clock that Dad received as a NASA Space Shuttle honoree; it is a laser-etched wood clock that depicts the launch of a space shuttle. Several months ago the clock stopped working so I took it down to replace the battery:

There was Dad's printing on a masking tape label on the battery showing the date he put it in the clock - December of 2004. He always labeled batteries so he could monitor how long a battery lasted and/or the "freshness" of a battery. Seeing his careful engineer printing on that battery caught me by surprise and brought a catch to my throat.

Someday I will get around to replacing that battery but for now, it is staying in the clock.