41. Show me that you love me too

I have few vivid memories of my Uncle Don - they are mostly vague feelings of being loved. I remember one Eastertime and he peeled me a colored egg that I think he'd cooked. I didn't want it because the yolk was greenish. I'm pretty sure he died a couple of months later.

I also remember the Christmas he and Aunt Leila gave me clothes for my brand new Barbie Doll.

What I remember most, however - the one true, good vivid memory I have of my Uncle Don (who gave me his name) was the song, Put Your Head on my Shoulder. I remember him putting the record on his HiFi, scooping me up in his arms and singing softly into my ear as he swayed with the music; and I slowly, and deliciously, drifted off to sleep.

Put your head on my shoulder
Hold me in your arms, baby
Squeeze me oh so tight
Show me that you love me too

Until today I had no idea it was recorded by Paul Anka. I didn't know that Paul Anka was singing in the 60's. (He was 14 when he had his first hit - wow). I guess I need to show that guy some respect. If ever a song made me feel loved, it's Put Your Head on my Shoulder.

My Uncle Don died when I was six - a few months before John F. Kennedy was assassinated. After Kennedy died, I pictured Heaven as a grand cafe. Uncle Don was sitting next to John Kennedy at a small table, drinking a beer. As more people I knew left this life, that table in Heaven grew more populated. When I think of it today, I see many familiar faces - all smiling, all chatting, all friends.