Hee Haw, Drew Carey & Other Things I Can’t Bear To Forget

January 23, 2017

Since losing my husband there are things I have been handling like a boss. Home maintenance, mountains of paperwork, nurturing my children’s hearts, cleaning out the closets, developing this website and getting through a slew of “firsts” are just a few examples where I’ve been able to ‘Git er done. But there are things I haven’t been able to conquer yet. Sometimes the little things catch me off guard and I just can’t move forward. The Playlist on our DVR is one of those things. (Ok, maybe I do watch too much TV)

My husband spent a lot of his time watching TV as his abilities dwindled. It was a great way to pass the hours and distract him from reality if only for a little while. As he ran out of normal people things to watch, he started recording weirder shows to pass the time, like Hee Haw and The Price is Right. He loved the absurd and comical behavior of the contestants on The Price is Right. We had so much fun watching it together, making fun of the uninhibited excitement of the colorfully clad unique contestants. He scheduled our DVR to record all episodes. Who else has Hee Haw on a season pass? No one? Yeah, I thought so. I’m delightfully embarrassed to admit this fun fact.

These shows are still recording daily at my house. Every day I see them on “the list” and I pause before deleting. I think about his smile, the laughs we shared making fun of tube-top wearing crazy people jumping up and down as they rushed on the stage to hug Drew Carey. I think about how we played along, shouting out our own bids for the items on stage. Good times. I can’t really explain the Hee Haw obsession, but I suspect he loved the corny comedy and guitar-picking talent coupled with how it made my eyes roll. He liked all of that, especially my eye rolling. Sometimes we sang along to Gloom, Despair, and Agony On Me.” No, you’re weird. We’d comment how Roy Clark looked like the 1970’s version of my Dad.

Roy Clark

My Dad

My Dad

We’d laugh at Minnie Pearl and I’d pretend how embarrassed I was that my husband was old (the show ended the year I was born, thank you very much). But he knew I loved the corny show just as much as he did. Actually it wasn’t so much the show as it was just sharing the time with him. The jokes, the playful banter we shared during a rendition of “You Were Gone” are ridiculous and cherished memories.

He’s been gone almost ten months now and yet I can’t bring myself to stop these shows from recording every day. Neither can I watch them. I just let them record and then later delete them. Isn’t that silly? I enjoy that moment every day when I’m cleaning up the playlist. I love pausing to remember those moments of fun we had together before I delete the episode.

I don’t feel bad for not being able to delete these things. I don’t feel bad for anything I can’t bring myself to do just yet. I feel grateful for all the things, big and small, corny and serious, that remind me of him. I’m thankful for the smiles that return to my face when I’m searching for what I want to watch next. I’m even appreciative of the tears the memories sometimes cause. The smiles, the laughs, and even the tears – they’re all evidence of what we had together.

I think the main reason behind my inability to stop the recordings is the fear of forgetting these moments. After all, time has a way of erasing or at least fading memories. I can’t bear the thought of not being able to remember these small but fun moments we shared. I’ve already almost completely forgotten the sound of his laugh and the way holding his hand felt. So just in case my memory completely fails me one day, Hee Haw is staying on the playlist.

Extra Grace,

Jodi

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  • Becky January 23, 2017 at 4:20 pm

    So this is what He gave you this morning, huh? XOXO

    • Extra Grace Required January 23, 2017 at 4:43 pm

      no – i’ve been resisting what He’s got on my heart. trust me – be glad.

  • Karen Underdahl January 24, 2017 at 11:10 am

    Jodi, I enjoy reading your posts and learning so much more about you and Mark, I can’t imagine the heartache of loosing your love and so young! I think of you so often! Please know that you are doing a wonderful job adjusting and taking care of the kids. All in God’s time, the sun will shine and brighten your day once again, the heartache will lessen. Your memories will sustain you! Thanks so much for helping me out last night, I wish I knew more about technology, I am learning but never seem to know what I need at times. Glad for your help. Take care and have a wonderful week! Love you, Karen

  • Kristin L Flanders August 27, 2017 at 9:33 am

    My husband was a huge fan of Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune. I can hear him, every evening when I flip past Wheel of Fortune ,as he would yell, “It’s on!”… But I can’t bring myself to watch… I miss those times of watching with him too much.

  • Libby Peay October 18, 2017 at 2:54 pm

    We too watched a lot of TV! Wheel of fortune, The. Voice, all the Chicago shows on NBC, Parenthood, Bluebloods. And then he too started watching reruns – I cannot bear to listen to the music of The Heat of the Night. I too record them all and then can’t watch. Too many memories of things only the two of us laughed about.😥😥😥

    • Extra Grace Required October 18, 2017 at 2:56 pm

      I love Chicago! i grew up about 60 miles from there – and my oldest is going to school there now i miss her.