Tag: my dad

Book still to finish

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Finnish version of Lord of the rings book
Photo: Mia 2026

My dad bought me the Finnish version of the book, The Lord of the Rings, for Christmas. I don’t remember what year it was, but it was years ago. It was probably the time they did a movie version of the trilogy. He read the book in one night.

Me? I still haven’t finished reading it. I tried, but then I found it long-winded, and I stopped. I tried again once, but I still didn’t finish it. Now, years later, I’ve started to read it again. Recently, I’ve tried to read one chapter each day, but it’s slow. I just don’t have the patience to read thick books. I prefer movies. After you seen the Lord of the Rings movies several times, reading the book isn’t very tempting. I’m in The Two Towers book right now. This time, I will finish the book. No matter how long it takes.

I have books that I got from my mother and a few books from my cousin. Those were children’s books, such as stories by the Brothers Grimm (Hans and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty) and H.C. Andersen (The Ugly Duckling). I got the book ‘Heidi. Courage Mountain’ from my mother. It was based on a Charlie Sheen movie from 1989 with the same name. I’ve read that book a few times.

I used to tell my dad about what I had dreamt about during the night, so he bought me a book about dreams and what they mean. It’s a bit of fun, and I don’t take the book seriously. It’s interesting to know what the dreams might mean. My dreams can be weird sometimes. The book has different words, for example, if you dream about a person or a place, then it says what it might mean.

I don’t buy books; I go to the library. I own books that I have read a few times. They’re mostly biographies and books about the movies, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. I have a library card, and I have read more books than I have in my adult life. I don’t read thick books. I prefer books that are easy to read and short. Recently, I’ve been reading Finnish comic strip books.

I have a bookshelf, but it’s more of a storage for other things than books.

One year ago today death showed its face again

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grave stone and candle
©Mia Salminen 2025

Today, it’s been a year since my Dad passed away. It was February 8, 2024, and about 11 o’clock when they called from the hospital to tell me he was no more. A year goes fast. I still have things to do, like going through his clothes. But life has moved on, and I have had other things on my mind. Sometimes, I wish he was here, but maybe it was for the best. You never know when death will show its face. It was good that some things were done before he died.

My Dad was a goldsmith who owned a business for 30 years. He continued even after he retired. It was one of his ways of doing something. He was a very good drawer, and he designed the jewellery he made. He made white golden diamond and zircon rings, pendants and earrings. He had a sales rep from whom he got orders from. But then the sales prep died, so Dad began to think about quitting the business. He decided to stop, and at the end of 2023, he sold the business premises. Ultimately, it was good it happened because fewer problems existed for me.

One of his last works was this ring (and a few earrings that were the same set). As the daughter of a goldsmith, I had access to jewellery without having to buy them. I have a lot of different kinds of jewellery, including yellow and white gold rings and pendants. If he tried new designs, I got to try them, so I might have pieces no one else has. It won’t get me rich if I sell them. No one else, for that matter. I haven’t used them for years because I’ve had rashes on my hands. I wore a necklace that my Dad made once last Christmas. For special occasions, I can wear them. Maybe I could begin to wear rings again every day as I did before.

golden ring on finger
©Mia Salminen 2024

No one is perfect, and my dad wasn’t either, but he was still my father, and I’m grateful for that. We didn’t agree on some things, but we got along great mostly. I hoped to have him around a little longer, but we spent a lot of quality time together, and that’s what matters.

Saying no to reunions

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polaroid photos on table
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

I have only been to one reunion, and I found it boring. I only went because my cousin did. Meeting a bunch of relatives who don’t even stay in touch and are strangers to me. We didn’t have any contact with any of the relatives besides my dad’s half-sister, my aunt. I got the message through my cousin, who got it through another relative that she died about two weeks ago. When my dad was in the hospital last year, and we tried to contact his sister, we didn’t. After he died, I tried again, but I didn’t get through. She had 3 adult kids, but none of them informed us about her. She was over 90, so it was only a matter of time before she would pass away. She never knew her brother had died. I didn’t have much luck regarding relatives, but I don’t see that as a bad thing. The only relative I keep in touch with somehow is my cousin, who I didn’t know I had about 6 years ago.

I was once invited to a school reunion, but I didn’t go even though I said I would. I don’t know why I should have gone, anyway. They weren’t nice to me in school, and I didn’t see any point in meeting people I don’t know anymore. I didn’t need to prove them anything, and I didn’t care about their lives. The reunion was decades ago, and if any of them would have another reunion, I still wouldn’t go. I say no to reunions of any kind. It would be different if it was with people I cared about. I prefer meeting new people and then moving on. It would be different if I met a singular person, but not in a reunion. It hasn’t happened and probably never will, either.

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