Bringing My Father With Me

Part One — The Personal Story

On September 5th, 2020, my father, Eric W. Springer, made a most elegant, thoughtful, gentle and considerate transition to his next spiritual opportunity. He closed his eyes and went to sleep, at home in his bed. There are many ways to mourn. Mine has been to communicate what I so often took for granted.

My father was an impeccable gentleman, a scholar, sharp minded, witty, jovial and wise. His recall of dates, facts and figures was astounding. Before the internet, I would call him (probably way too much) and ask for this historical date or his perspective on current events. He also saw people for who they were and encouraged them to work their asses off to become it.

His was a strong presence — he could energize a room with congenial positivity or make people flee with just the slightest shift of his mood. He never got upset. He rarely raised his voice. But, his soft, precise words were titanium scalpels. Never denigrating ~ more incredulous and shocked that such ignorance could exist ~ ignorance definitely worthy of complete, ruthless and thorough dissection and/or removal.

True story, when I was in my late 20’s, I had grown weary of being a starving artist. I decided I needed a back up plan. I decided I would go to law school. Thinking he would be thrilled, I announced my plans to my…