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Straight From the Heart
http://www.storiesfrommyheart.com
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By Joseph Walker

 

For those who were there, it is a moment frozen in time, never to be
forgotten.

 

It was my father's 90th birthday, and 30 or so of us had gathered at the
Alzheimer's care center where he lives to celebrate with him.  He seemed
unusually bright and cheery as he was greeted, hugged and loved by his
wife, his brother, four of his eight children and numerous grandchildren
and great-grandchildren.  His brightest smile came when he saw his eldest
surviving son, Dick, for the first time in three years.  Although he
couldn't articulate what he was feeling, you could just see the flash of
recognition and feel the wave of emotion.

 

There were lots of photos, a couple of brief speeches, a little
entertainment and, of course, birthday cake and ice cream.  Dad seemed to enjoy it all -- especially the cake and ice cream.

And then suddenly, it was time to go.  No one was anxious to leave --
least of all Dad -- but meal time at the care center was fast
approaching, and we needed to clear the dining room.  There was just time
for one more rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday to You."

"No -- wait," someone suggested.  "Let's sing something that Dad can
sing with us."

On the surface, that seemed ludicrous.  Although Dad was quite alert
through the event, coherent expression from him was limited to two- and
three-word sentences: "I'm fine," "How are you?" and "Oh, no."  He
couldn't remember the names of those nearest and dearest to him; asking
him to participate in a sing-along was an exercise in futility.

 

Wasn't it?

 

A different song was selected, one of Dad's favorites from years gone
by: "Let Me Call You Sweetheart."  Just the mention of the song was
enough to evoke tender feelings from those of us who remember the many
times it was sung at family gatherings and as a way of passing the time
during long family trips.  In my mind, I can still hear the melodic
blending of Dad's bold and brassy bass with Mom's rich alto resonating in
the old Impala as we musically made our away across the California desert
to visit family members on the Coast.

 

All eyes were focused on Dad as we began singing:
 "Let me call you Sweetheart, I'm in love with you."
His lips began forming the words of lyrics indelibly etched somewhere in
his mind.
 "Let me hear you whisper that you love me, too."
His eyebrows arched.  His eyes sparkled.
 "Keep the love light burning in your eyes so blue."
I was kneeling close to him, and could hear him singing.  It wasn't the
strong, vibrant voice that had embarrassed me as it boomed out
mercilessly in countless church meetings through the years.  But it was
unmistakably Dad's voice.
 "Let me call you Sweetheart, I'm in love with you."
He smiled happily as we harmoniously reached the end of the song.  Tears
moistened most eyes as we savored the magic of the moment.  For a few
measures, at least, Dad was Dad again, leading the family in singing one
of our old favorite songs.

I've thought about that moment a lot since then.  There is real power in
the music of our lives.  I'm not sure I understand it, but there is
something dramatic that happens when words and melodies mingle in our
minds.  It is burned into our consciousness.  It becomes part of who we
are and what we think -- for good or ill -- freezing moments in time.

 

Never to be forgotten.

 

Joseph Walker
valuescom@juno.com

Send Joseph an email and let him know what you thought about his story!

 

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A little bit about Joseph:

Joseph Walker has been writing professionally since 1980, when he left
college to join the staff of a daily metropolitan newspaper. For 10
years -- including six as the paper's TV columnist and critic -- he was
part of the mainstream media, and was painfully aware of the
overwhelming negativity of contemporary journalism. Joe says, "Nobody
was looking for real solutions to the problems society was facing; they
were just looking for someone or something to blame the problems on." So in 1990 Joe began writing ValueSpeak, a weekly syndicated column that
attempts to look at contemporary issues from the perspective of
traditional values. Joe and his wife wife, Anita, are parents of five
children, with their first grandchild due shortly.
You'll love his new book, "How Can you Mend a Broken
Spleen!"
Ordering is simple and fast at the following Amazon address:
Click here for Joe's Book
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573453005/heart

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Thought For The Day:

 

"Dreaming about a thing in order to do it properly is right; but dreaming about it when we should be doing it is wrong."
(Oswald Chambers)

 

Verse for the Day:

 

"He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during the harvest is a disgraceful son."
Proverbs 10:5

 

Kid's Thought For The Day:

 

"Poems don't have to rhyme."

 

Parent's Thought For The Day:

 

"We've been having some trouble with the school bus. It keeps bringing the kids back."
(Bruce Lansky)

Coach's Thought For The Day:

 

"No substitute is without value.  Brooks might as well say the same to the sea, for they are not rivers.  Give what you can to your team, it is better tan you actually think."

 

Deep Thought For The Day:

 

"I believe you should live each day as if it is your last, which is why I don't have any clean laundry because, come on, who wants to wash clothes on the last day of their life?"

 

  _
/_/\/\    MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\  /    THUNDER27@aol.com  
/_/  \    "For I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
\_\/\ \   Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body I live for the Son
   \_\/   of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."  Galatians 2:20 

Video Imagery (Michael's Video Production Business.)

"I thought of you first after my family sat down to watch the video we gave them. They loved it, to say the least!  Within thirty seconds my mom was crying and my dad did too.  They said it was the best Christmas gift we could have given them!!  You did such a beautiful job!  They were so surprised and so touched---they really, really, really loved it.  Thanks for helping to make it so special to us all.  My mom mentioned how the songs were perfect for the video too!  Thanks again!"
        
Kelli  (RKaGe@aol.com)    College Station, TX

Let me make you a video from your pictures or home movies!
Check out the web page for Michael's video production business!
 Video Imagery
http://members.aol.com/Videoimg/index.html

Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you?
 The Four Spiritual Laws
http://www.ccci.org/laws/index.html

Writer's guidelines for Straight From the Heart can be found here:

Writer's Guidelines
http://storiesfrommyheart.com/writer_s_guidelines/

 

The copyrights to the stories that appear here are owned by the authors and are used with their permission.  This email may be forwarded in its entirety, but please do not cut and paste the stories to be used elsewhere unless you have contacted, and been given permission, by the individual writer. 
Thanks!

 

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