Of all the moments that sparkle in my life, this one is unexpected and yet the dearest. Tomorrow we bury my father. My mother, sister, brother and I greet the visitors for the ritual viewing. Some people we know and some we don’t. Even so, each one has something to share–a story, a tiny piece of my father that I didn’t know. Each one smiles, some cry . . . but everyone smiles. He taught me. He pestered me to come to class. He encouraged me to race faster than I thought I could. He helped me. I’ve always loved my father, but I’ve never been prouder.
bluebonnets
I follow his lingering path
With this writing capturing a memory of ten years ago, I’m taking part in the ‘My Most Beautiful Thing’ blogsplash today. Will you join me?
Visit dVerse — a beautiful place to read poetry. Thank you, Margo.
Shiteki Na Usagi 
Oh, I’m so touched! I didn’t know that you also participated in My Most Beautiful Thing. Your post reminded me of losing my father. I was so lost without him. Thanks for sharing this. I can feel your love for your father and I know it will never go away just as memories of my father still slip into my night dreams.
Christine,
Thank you so much for visiting. I’m delighted you chose this post to comment on. As you can tell from the other comments, losing a parent is one of those benchmarks of life–a marker one reaches but never forgets the details around it. I’ve written another poem about him, and expectedly it is one of my favorites.
Btw, I went to your International Kukai Contest link hoping to participate in the next one, but my virus protection software put a slamming halt on visiting the site. Have you noticed any issues there? I thought that a rather odd place to have problems.
Yousei, very lovely remembrance. And I love your babypowder micro poetry too. It’s great that you are able to be so succinct. This is a problem I have! Wonderful. K.
K,
Thank you for sharing it with me. I’m so glad you had a chance to read the babypowder piece too. I rather like that one, though it feels a bit sad. I appreciate your reading and commenting. 😀
It does feel sad, but that’s what makes it memorable. K.
K,
I feel the same way. I love sad but beautiful things. I suppose that’s a little strange, but it’s a part of me. I don’t believe I’m alone in that trait either. 🙂
No, I do not think you are. K.
The memories of our parents after they’re gone linger in our minds until we too reach the age when we know that there is only a limited amount of time left. I can still see my father’s smile and hear him saying to people, I’m finer than frog’s hair on a split wood fence blowing in the wind. This is a beautiful post, Yousei. Beautiful.
Thomas Davis,
Thank you so much for your sharing your beautiful memory. I’m happy to have shared a bit of my dad with you. He would have loved talking with you and Ethel.
It’s funny, as in peculiar, how we react. I have had your tab open for several days, now, but kept working around it until I realised it was because of dealing with the loss of your father. Mine died in 1994 but it was some years, might be ten, before I could write about the loss. It is one of my favourite poems as, through it, I came to realise my dad is still very much with me. May you take comfort, as I do, in the memories.
margo,
Thank you for reading and sharing. Loss of a parent is a turnpoint in anyone’s life. Though their was (and still is to a degree) grief and loneliness, there was also joy. That was such a surprise, that I could be grateful and happy at such a traditionally sad event. Even my husband said he’d never been to a funeral like that. It will always stand out in my memory, as will the man himself. I wish you the same comfort.
Just coming back looking for new goodies. 🙂
Shawna,
😀
Are you hibernating?
Shawna,
Lol. I guess you could say that. I’m trying to catch up on reading blogs, and get my son caught up in a couple of classes. I’m also daydreaming about the puppy I’m getting. 😀
What kind? Do tell. 🙂
Shawna,
Boxer. We had one before, and he is still my favorite dog I’ve ever had.
Write me a poem, please.
Shawna,
Rabbit withdrawals? Will do. I’ll try to do it tonight, but it will probably be some time tomorrow.
Tomorrow is fine. 🙂 And yes, I’m in withdrawal.
Put one up already. Short but sweet. 🙂
beautiful, Yousei… the tribute is strengthened but its brevity. The picture is wonderful also.
Luke,
The picture was required. I don’t think I could post about bluebonnets without being able to look at them. Thank you for coming by, reading, and sharing your thoughts. I’ve enjoyed my recent visits at your place and other places your writing has shown up. 🙂
A Tear
the memories are precious
the precious one’s memory so dear
once the rainstorm of sorrow is cleared
Love and hugs from a friend
moondustwriter,
Lovely, and thank you for sharing it. The surprise and blessing were that there were smiles that day, smiles from all the stories of joy and generosity about my father. Thank you for allowing me to share it with you.
I can feel your love for your Father… this really is the most beautiful thing. 🙂
Eve,
Thank you. It is a blessing to know that a parent one loved so much is loved and appreciated by others as well. Thank you for allowing me to share this moment with you.
This is very beautiful and wonderful, filled with the love you had for your father and the love he shared with you. This is a lovely memorial to a man who sounds like he was indeed a great man.
Chazinator,
Welcome and thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. Thank you for allowing me to share this with you.
Chaz,
I went by to read at your site, but I couldn’t view any posts. I’d select one but it seemed empty. Are you revamping your site? Let me know when its working again.
What a touching post! Very beautiful….thank you for sharing this!
New View From Here,
You’re welcome. We all need reflection and time for full appreciation.
Words that help us define further someone we loved are blessings…peace be with you and yours.
slpmartin,
Thank you for coming by and sharing this memory with me.
A beautiful memory of the other side of grief–that it’s shared, and lightened by the help of others. I can see why you think of it as your most beautiful moment–it’s very rich and warm as well as sorrowful.
hedgewitch,
Thank you for stopping by to read. Even ten years later I still hope that my funeral will be at least half as joyful. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Very beautiful, Yousei. Love it!
sanjuktaa,
Thank you. Sharing it with others is also a blessing.
We share a lot. Memory fades but never disappears. Things reconstruct themselves.
I send comfort, even if it was 10 years ago. Lovely construction of memory.
It shows love and love is the basis for life.
Lady Nyo
Lady Nyo,
Thank you for sharing in my memory, your understanding and your appreciation. I appreciate them all. May we both find comfort in the beauty of what has passed and what still is.
Sorry for your loss — the important thing is how you keep your father alive in your memory and writing. As I’ve heard it said, death ends the person but not the relationship. – Brendan
Brendan,
Thank you for reading this and sharing your thoughts. I know you’ve had some similar remembrances at your place, and I’ve loved their beauty as well as reverberated with an echo of your mourning. I appreciate your thoughts, here and there.
aloha Yousei Hime – it is interesting how strong the moments of clarity are sometimes when saying goodbye to the life of family and friends. i have many as i’m sure most people will in their life time. standing back a bit from these memories i find it interesting indeed how important these memories are to me – as are the people. thank you for bringing this out with this special memory around your father. aloha.
Rick,
You are right. One expects such an event to have some beauty but not joy. It was wonderful. Thank you for sharing your memories with me.
ok glad i saw in the comments that this is a memory and not going on right now…i was taken aback for a second with grief echoes….
love the little verse and agree with shawna on the path not being small in a field of the blues…but sounds like he was quite the man…
brian,
Yes, it’s a memory. I do still miss him. How can one not miss a parent so dear? Every time my son has a math question or science question, I think of him (often wishing I could call him for help). Shoot, even the lab work I had done yesterday made me think of him and his health problems. Bluebonnets are the best though. Like cherry blossoms, they are only around for a short time, so beautiful and for me, fully of memories. Thank you for sharing these with me.
Life is eternal, and love is immortal,
and death is only a horizon;
and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.
~Rossiter Worthington Raymond
Nonoy Manga,
Thank you for sharing that beautiful quote. I expect to see him someday, and it will be all smiles from there.
You know, this is a brilliant haiku because there’s no such thing as a narrow “path” of bluebonnets. They spread out wild and free across a field, across a state, across a heart. They cannot be contained. This says so much about who your father is in your heart and who you are.
Shawna,
Maybe I should put a note in here about this as a memory. He was quite the influence, and not just on his family. He loved the bluebonnets, and I’ll always associate them with him and my mother and of course, home.
Well you said later it was a memory from ten years ago.
Shawna,
Yes, in a comment. I just thought I might make a note somewhere in the post. I’ll think about it.
I got so confused because of your haiku about him from the other day! I love this:
“He encouraged me to race faster than I thought I could.” … When pushed beyond what we are capable of, perhaps we will achieve that which we are.
My prayers will be with you.. Sorry about your loss~ hopefully you all feel peace.
Sincerely Deborah
Deborah,
Thank you. This is actually written about a memory from ten years ago. I still miss him though. Thank you for reading and commenting.