My Father's Bench in Golden Gate Park

This love letter is to my love for the bench we dedicated to my father in Golden Gate Park on his 90th birthday.

I love the place because my father and I spent long hours sitting on the bench, enjoying the beauty of the place and the serenity of the waterfall sounds nearby.

He would say to me, “Look at the color of the leaves, all the shades of green . . . nature is so beautiful . . it brings tears to my eyes.”

 And then in his last letter to his grandchildren in his last few days, he said, “ . . . we have a bench in the Golden Gate Park so I would encourage you to go there once in a while.  Alone or with other members of the family, sit in that beautiful place and just think about the meaning of life.

I miss him very much and I will always love this place (see photos) that will speak to me about the meaning of life, the profound beauty of nature, and my reverence for my father’s eternal spirit.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share.

- NP