You Were a Star
Dear Dad:
Whenever we went to a show or an amusement park where audience participation was required, you would get picked. I would wave my hand in the air and jump up and down. They picked you.
In Disney World, you were picked at Indiana Jones for the pre-show tricks. A few years later, you were picked to be in the show. You were once picked to be blindfolded and do tricks with sea lions in San Diego. You were picked to do the voice of Martin Short at MGM studios.
Eager wannabe volunteers like myself would wave their arms around frantically hoping for the coveted spot. You actually held me in the air one time to get picked, and they picked you, not me. You would simply hold your cap in the air and smile. You had a quality.
At SuperStar Television at MGM studios, audience members were picked to read lines from TV shows and were then superimposed into the show. The first year, you sat at the bar for Cheers. The following year, you and Mom were picked for Cheers and Patrick was picked for David Letterman. I sat in the audience by myself.
The best was the time you were picked to play Al Borland on Home Improvement. Mom, Pat, and I watched that show all of the time, but you were usually at work so you had never seen it. For some reason, you assumed Al Borland had an intense Southern accent. I remember watching you on stage, listening to you say “Yes, Tim” to Tim Allen on the screen, and just keeling over with laughter.
Even though I always wanted to get picked, it was fun watching you perform. It brought you so much joy. And it gave me something to aspire to - to be someone who stands out in the crowd. Your face just radiates “pick me, pick me!” The smile on your face, the poof of your dirty blonde hair, and the joy that can be seen through your eyes drew everyone to you. People wanted to be near you, wanted to know you, and were curious what accent you might use to play Al Borland.
I know you didn’t get picked for this virus, but sometimes it feels like you did. Before you died, I joked that Tom Hanks got picked for the virus to make the virus feel real to people. It would hit home if people knew Tom Hanks was at risk. I know this virus really hit home for people when they lost you. When it happened to you, people knew the virus did not discriminate.
I am so happy you always got picked for stuff, until now.
Thanks for always putting on a show for me, for our family, and for the world. I didn’t want the curtains to close this way. You deserved your own bow Phil.
