June 26. 2023 By Howard Diamond
To begin, I propose a question. What does June mean to anyone? Maybe it is the beginning of summer. Then perhaps, it is the month of Father’s Day. For others, it signifies the end of the school year and the start of the summer vacation season. Yet, for many there are June brides and grooms. But for all it is just June and only June.
For me June is the beginning of spending more hours outdoors while the pool and beach season commence. Although I do not spend much time on an actual beach. My preference is being at an outdoor pool while basking in the sun with blue skies, plus using plenty of sunblock protection. Also, I like to spend more time on the boardwalk, enjoying the warm weather, the elongated hot days of the summer and free outdoor concerts at night. Nature needs to get wet, so let it rain overnight. Hopefully, most days are full of sunshine.
Unfortunately, all my Junes were not good ones. June 2015, my life was altered forever and for the worse. For the first part of the month, I spent almost every day visiting my significant other, Maureen in the hospital. She had a brain aneurysm and was being treated by a series of quality neurosurgeons. On the tenth she had a procedure that hopefully would reduce her bleeding issues in the brain. By the next day, she went into a coma and never recovered. On June 12th, 2015, she died and on the 16th, she was buried. So much for having fun during that June. Yes, I still miss her a whole lot!