For this day the kids made Papa a stepping-stone. We also gave him a picture of Bug, Oney, and him on the beach. I know I posted this picture before, but I absolutely love it.
My Dad is a very creative man. He is an artist and quite crafty. We call him Martha Stewart at times. He paints scenic art, influenced by Bob Ross the artist who is on or was on TV. My Dad also makes wooden toys and games. He plays the guitar, a lot of my memories as a child are being around a camp fire while my dad picked away at his guitar while we all sang songs. I love his creativity and his love for it.
Two of my Dad's paintings
My Dad loves imagination. He was always telling me stories and fairy tales as a child. Playing make-believe was always fun with my Dad. He has built a fairy garden in his back yard for the kids. It is a little place where the kids can walk through and try to find all the little fairy statues that are hidden there. Papa only requires that you make a fairy wish before entering. My children have great imaginations. They eat this stuff up.
The fairy garden
One of the fairies that live there.
He is someone you can turn to. He loves nothing more than to help people. Anyone who may have a problem or needs a person to listen can always come to my Dad. Weather it is a quick question or you need a couple of hours. My Dad will listen and try to help any way he can.
I have many fond memories with my Dad. One of my favorite memories is my wedding. My Dad was about to give away his only little girl. I know it was hard for him. He left all the planning to my Mom and me. But he picked out the perfect Daddy- Daughter dance. This song is special to my Dad and me because it represents us so perfectly.
Tangled Up Puppet by Harry Chapin
I'm a tangled up puppet,
Spinning round in knots,
And the more I see what I used to be,
The less of you I've got.
There was a time that you curled up in my lap; like a child
You'd cling to me smiling, yours eyes wide and wild
Now you slip through my arms, wave a passing hello
Twist away and toss a kiss, laughing as you go
You used to say "Read me a story and sing me songs of love"
For you were Princess Paradise like your wings of a dove
Now I chase you and tease you trying to remake you my own
But you just turn away and say "please leave me alone."
And I'm a tangled up puppet
All hanging in your strings
I'm a butterfly in a spider's web
Fluttering my wings
And the more that I keep dancing
And spinning round in knots
The more I see what I used to be
And the less of you I've got
You are a drawer full of makeup and rinses and things
You keep changing your moods like your earrings and rings
But tonight while we played tag for five minutes in the yard
Just for a moment I caught you off guard
But now you write your secret poems
In a room just for your dreams
You don't find time to talk to me
About the things you mean
And what I mean is--
I have watched you take shape from a jumble of parts
And find the grace and form of a fine work of art
Hey, you, my brand new woman, newly come into your own
Don't you know that you don't need to grow up all-alone
We practiced our dance to this song and we became pretty good if I do say so myself.
At the time I was so caught up in the whirl wind of getting married and the love for my husband, I did not really grasp what my Dad was going through and how special he was trying to make this moment for me.
Now I have my own family with my own children. I can now fully appreciate the love my Dad had for me that day. It was only a few months ago that I called him up to tell him how much that song and our dance meant to me. How the memory is irreplaceable. And how I truly felt his unconditional love.
To my tangled up puppet, Happy Fathers Day, thank you for being you. I could not ask for anything more.
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing this beautifully written tribute to your dad.
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