Wednesday, December 3, 2008


Red Flowers

My father never read to me as a child. I was reading pretty much on my own at a very early age. Instead, he told me stories. Some were his own versions of classic tales, often made a bit scarier, or funnier, by his personal renditions. I particularly liked the scary ones such as the big-big monster that lived way-way out in the ocean. I would stand, with my little feet dug into warm sand and stare and stare, as far out as I could, holding tightly to his big hand, deliciously scared but truly doubtful about any imminent danger to either of us. Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, The Headless Horseman... all these famous folks benefited greatly from Daddy’s embellishments to their biographies. He was sweet, and he was funny, calm, steady and incredibly stubborn. He had a great laugh, red flowers were his favorites, and he always told me he loved me any and every chance he got. He adored dogs and actually cried when he met Edward for the first time. I think he couldn’t bear the thought of big sweet Edward ever having been out on the streets by himself.

I have had long hair most of my life. The only time I ever had it cut short was when I was little and my Mother and I had gone on a train trip to visit relatives. This was not an unusual thing for us. Daddy would stay in the city and meet us at the train station at the end of the week. Our favorite game was to watch for each other as the train pulled into the station. I would press my nose against the train window, looking intently at the blur of people lined up outside, while he would be watching all the faces in the train cars roll past. When we spotted each other we would wave like crazy. Except that one time my hair was short. Daddy didn’t recognize me. It doesn’t take a psychoanalyst to decipher why I have worn my hair long ever since, now does it?

Daddy slipped away a year ago today. Even though his illness was relatively brief, losing him wasn’t nearly as difficult as seeing him sick. I was an only child, and a Daddy’s girl to boot. So, watching him go was difficult to say the least. Today as I was placing red flowers on his grave I thought of this song I heard for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It is by Emmylou Harris, off her new album entitled All I Intended To Be. The song describes so sublimely the way I have felt about my father’s death. Here are the lyrics, but one should really hear Emmylou sing it to feel the truth living inside the words.

When I Go Sailing Round The Moon
by Emmylou Harris, Kate and Anna McGarrigle

One last gaze upon the sun
Bid farewell to everyone
Kicked that bucket out the door
Where I'm goin I won't need it anymore
Gonna lay my burden down
Take a birdseye look around
From the tall pines of Carolina
All the way to the Wall of China

So I go sailing round the room
Through my window, cross the silver moon
No flesh and bone to hold me
I'll finally set my soul free
When I go sailing round the room

Life may be just but a dream
Rode my boat on down the stream
To wake up on a different shore
Wind up as something I aint never been before
I could be a drop of summer rain
Fallin down on an Oklahoma plain
Gonna leave the world behind me
Look around and you will find me

So I go sailing round the room
Through my window, cross the silver moon
No flesh and bone to hold me
I'll finally set my soul free
When I go sailing round the room

I....will....be
In the smoke from Mauna Loa
Morning mist on the Shenandoah

I.....will be.....
Grain of sand in the Kalahari
Magnolia by the Mississippi

I.....will be.....
Bird song when the day is breaking
Words of love when your heart is aching

Blue bonnet by the highway
I'll be everywhere and always

When I go sailing round the room
Through my window, cross the silver moon
No flesh and bone to hold me
I'll finally set my soul free
When I go sailing round the room

First photo: Daddy and Me with my one and only short hairstyle.
Second Photo: Daddy and Me later after my one and only turn as the neighborhood Easter Bunny.


44 comments:

  1. As I began reading your post it reminded me of a similar experience I had with my Dad. I was the third of five kids and my dad was enrolled in college classes at night when I was about four. Every now and then he would have to take me with him to class and I still recall his Children's Literature class. I learned so many nursery rhymes by going to school with him. I am sure there were great discussions about each and every one of the rhymes though that didn't matter to me. It was just fun to learn and recite them with my Dad. My dad died three years ago on Thanksgiving weekend. The lyrics you posted are wonderful.

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  2. I lost my father when I was four, I was his favourite, his little Chickadee, I was dark, the others were fair, so after the Russians had taken him away, my brother, always inventive, started telling me that I had fallen off the back of a Gipsy's wagon and mother had taken me in out of the kindness of her heart.
    He said this so often, I could not be sure if it was true or not.
    I prayed every night to God to give
    me my daddy back until my second child was born.
    God must have heard me since I was able to see my father once more when he was eighty and I 38. We met in Riga, it took him longer to get there from Siberia than it took us from Australia with a stop over in Singapore.
    The tales of fathers and daughters are many and varied.
    He was right about your hair, you look lovely with it long!

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  3. OK, so this entry earned you my first comment. :) I read it with tears in my eyes not only because of the loss of such a sweet man, but also for the blessing he and your family was to my life for more than.....well, let's just say for a very long time!

    I know not having your dad here is hard every day and even more so during the holidays. My prayer for you and your family is that our Heavenly Father will hold you in His arms and comfort you as only He can. I am thankful for you and your friendship and look forward to seeing you soon.

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  4. You paint your father beautifully and what a blessing that you were able to share your lives together. How lucky to have had such a bond.

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  5. This was a lovely tribute to your dad, Pamela. You are so very fortunate to have had such a close and loving relationship with him. He was such a handsome man! You definitely have his smile!

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  6. What a beautiful tribute to your wonderful father! The lyrics are wonderful. I lost my father 34 years ago - still miss him!

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  7. Those are very special memories you have of your day. This is an excellent tribute to a grand human being.

    Blessings to you and thanks for sharing your memories.

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  8. My condolences on the anniversary of the loss of your father, Pamela. The song is beautiful and says so much.

    I lost my Dad when I was only 18 and this poem has brought me great comfort throughout the years:

    "Do not stand at my grave and weep;
    I am not there. I do not sleep.
    I am a thousand winds that blow.
    I am the diamond glints on snow.
    I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
    I am the gentle autumn rain.
    When you awaken in the morning's hush
    I am the swift uplifting rush
    Of quiet birds in circled flight.
    I am the soft stars that shine at night.
    Do not stand at my grave and cry;
    I am not there. I did not die."

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  9. I saw this post come up on my blogroll earlier today and made myself wait until I crawled into bed to read it - it always feels like storytime here - loved the first photo of you and your dad and loved your memory of how you would look for each other when the train came into the station.

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  10. What a lovely tribute to your father, he sounds like a wonderful man.

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  11. Pamela,
    How blest you were to have such a sweet, loving and caring Dad...

    The lyrics are beautiful and touching..

    My Mother was buried on New Year's Eve 17 years ago... It seems deaths around holidays are sadder...but death is sad anytime....

    You made a smashing Easter Bunny....Betty

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  12. Pamela, what a lovely and moving tribute to your Dad. The poignant song lyrics are just beautiful. I agree with Willow, you do have his smile.

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  13. Love those lyrics and love the story you tell about your relationship with your father. Hold that in your memory for ever - it is precious.

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  14. Fathers and Daughters..always special.You have the story telling talent from your father I'm sure..!
    Wonderful tribute..and you as Easter Bunny:)Your father must have loved that..

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  15. "All I Intended to Be" is on You Tube so I am trying to imagine that voice to the words. I think I have some of her early stuff for the guitar.

    Your dad sounds great- I would've got bored re-hearing the traditional fairy tales over and over. I'm sure he has influenced your ability to hear a tale when you write.

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  16. I've enjoyed your beautiful blog very much.

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  17. How much fun it must have been hearing your father’s stories. You have inherited that gift from him as you spin a fine tale yourself. I’m sorry to hear that you lost your father, but his memory is living on through you.

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  18. What beautiful memories of your father.
    Yes, I can agree about the hair.
    He sounds a splendid story teller.
    You must miss him terribly.

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  19. Pamela- What a beautiful and moving tribute to your father. The song lyrics couldn't be more poignant, and I read this post with tears in my eyes.

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  20. What a wonderful tribute to your dad, it's obvious you listened to every word he told and held it dear...what beautiful lyrics! Great post, so heartfelt!Tell me, does this ever get easier?

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  21. What a wonderful tribute to your dad, it's obvious you listened to every word he told and held it dear...what beautiful lyrics! Great post, so heartfelt!Tell me, does this ever get easier?

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  22. Just beautiful. I have no doubt your beautiful writing and prose was born while listening to the stories at his knee. He was a beautiful man, and sounds like a beautiful soul.

    And I loved reading all of the comments...all of the stories.

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  23. What a sweet post. I still have tears in the corners of my eyes. I wish I had had a good father. You're so fortunate. ♥ ∞

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  24. Wonderful memories and a lovely photo. You're Dad was obviously a special man
    x

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  25. a wonderful tribute and a beautiful peek into a wonderful memory - I too was my Daddy's girl and this brought a smile to me this cold Utah morning - thank you!
    Colleen

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  26. What a wonderful post about and for your father. My father died when I was five but I have a few memories of him which I hold dear. I later had a step-father, no longer with us, who was wonderful to me and to whom I owe so much. What wonderful memories you have:)

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  27. Nicely done.

    Keep telling the stories, it's a fitting tribute.

    My dad died a few days after I turned 21. He never told me stores, but read to me whenever I was sick (often.) I can still hear him speaking the opening sentences of "Tom Sawyer." It was his childhood copy form which he read, too.

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  28. Beautiful entry. This time I am the one with tears in my eyes. You had a wonderful Father and he in turn must have thought himself very fortunate to have you as a daughter.

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  29. A very moving post. thank you for sharing both your happy and your sad memories. I never found my father until it was too late so can only imagine what having such a loving father must have been like. Your Dad was very handsome too.
    I love the lyrics to that song and will seek out the music, I am an Emmylou fan.

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  30. It is so wonderful that you were able to not only have a loving dad, but a wonderful friend when you grew up.
    A sweet remembrance of your dad.

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  31. Hi Pamela,
    I have read all the comments posted thus far and there doesn't seem to be anything I can add, everyone has expressed it so beautifully. This was such a lovely tribute to your Dad.

    I too was a "Daddy's girl" and an only child so I can relate with you so well what you are feeling in your heart. Today would have been my "Daddy's" 94th birthday.
    Love and prayers,
    Barb

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  32. I'm sure your dad would have tears in his eyes reading your beautiful tribute to him. Those special anniversaries and celebrations are always sad but what wonderful memories you have. I was about to post the poem that Pat posted and then noticed it was already here. It has given me a lot of comfort over the years too.

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  33. I hope you have found some comfort and serenity on this difficult day, Pamela.

    We're never the same after we lose our dads.

    xx

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  34. A beautiful and moving post Pamela. A while ago I found a quote from someone called John Gregory Brown. Although I have commented on the following quote around the middle of this year on my site,I would like to quote it again as it seems so relevant to what you have beautifully expressed. I hope I am not repeating myself to you if you've read it previously, and hope you find it as moving as I do.
    "There's something like a gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself".Thank you for sharing your story.

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  35. Thank you for all you post
    It is pure magic.
    I love that song.
    Thanks for posting the lycrics.
    Blessings
    Love Jeanne

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  36. Your dad sounds extraordinary, what a treasure in your heart. This snapshot, about your hair, is a terrific symbol of a child's connection with a parent. We want to please them, out of love, which was my number one goal as a parent, to love my kids so they would want to "please" me in the sense that they "make healthy choices" out of love, not out of fear of retribution. I hope you know what I mean.

    And in the song, one line made me laugh, because when my dad passed from lung cancer, he was drifting in and out of consciousness in his last hours, then went into a coma for a time until he died. As he was drifting, he was telling an old joke about a father who told his boy "when I kick the bucket . . ." but the boy didn't understand what this idion meant, so he couldn't quite get why his dad was going to kick the waste basket some day.

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  37. So y ou obviously got your writing skills from listening to your Dad.

    I figured out your hairstyle the first time I visited.
    Lovely tor ead of your experiences, even the sad bits.

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  38. Now we know where you inherited the gift for sharing such special stories.
    Surely your Dad must be smiling down on you and your long locks!

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  39. This is a beautiful tribute to you Papa. You must miss him very much Pamela! You are fortunate that you both of you loved one another.
    Today we brought rose petals to my fathers tree. It was his birthday.

    Thinking of you.
    xox
    Constance

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  40. Pamela, there is nothing I can add to all these wonderful comments. How blessed you have been. And what a beautiful paean to a father.
    I too am blessed with a wonderful beloved father. Thank you for the gentle reminder. :-)

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  41. Wonderful post. Lost my father 30 years ago but we were not as close as you and yours. On another note I am not doing the Cards this year or last and I feel the guilt! But I need to save on finances. What I miss the most is caroling. I really miss the people who would go door to door and just sing beautiful carols. We should bring that back.

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  42. What a beautiful tribute to your father. As an only child I can relate to so much of this, may your heart be filled with the happy memories and joy your brought each other

    *hugs*

    Catharine

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  43. pamela, thank you so much for posting the emmylou harris song...I had to buy it...I just lost a dear friend and it reminds me so much of him I could cry.

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  44. This is a beautiful post in memory of your dad. It brought tears to my eyes. I'm sure he is smiling down at you and how you inherited his gift of words.
    I lost my daddy this past Sept and know this Christmas will be a tough one, but I have to remember I am my dad's daughter and he lives within my heart.
    Thank you for sharing!

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I love to read your comments! Each and every one! Though I'm always reading your comments, I may not respond in the comment section. If you want to write me directly, you may do so at pamela@pamelaterry.net. Thank you for reading!