Tonight my mom passed away. It was not unexpected because she had battled medical conditions for the past few years, and was in the hospital this past week. With her death, it got me thinking about how she affected my geekyness. She took me to my very first Star Trek convention way back in the 1970’s, when it was nothing more than showing Star Trek TOS bloopers on a film screen in an auditorium, and maybe had 1 or 2 tables selling books. There were no celebrity guests, or fan made films or even blueprints for sale. What there was though, was people getting together to talk about WHY Star Trek mattered. From that first convention on, she both supported and nurtured my growing love of science fiction. She allowed me to use my allowance to buy Sci-Fi books, and Models to build.
As I grew up, both my mom and my dad took me to see sci-fi movies and monster movies such as godzilla and the remake of King Kong, they introduced me to stores such as Forbidden Planet in NYC. The allowed me to branch out and read Piers Anthony’s XANTH series, and Dragonlance. As I got older I moved onto R.A. Salvatore’s books, and others. While in the Navy, I got into collecting and reading comic books. I preferred Marvel, But also read DC comics. Comics were a lifeline to home when I got them while on Deployment. They allowed me to warp out into my fantasy world, if only for a short while, when I was far from home.
So tonight I sit here, NUMB as I realize I will never see her smiling face again. If I have any kids, they will never meet their Grandma. I am thankful to have her as my Mom, and sad that she is my newest Angel.
Jon
