Daddy played the banjo…
The month of June is a reflective month for me. I suppose that would be due to the number of special dates that fall within the month. Thinking about Father’s Day has brought back a flood of memories of my own father who passed on 26-years-ago today.
The funny thing is I don’t recall ever spending a single Father’s Day with my dad. I’m sure I must have when I was quite young.
My dad liked to have fun. One of my fondest memories of him was a time when someone had given him an old rusty riding lawn mower, and I’m not talking about one of those poly-glass John Deer babies. This had to be one of the first ever built. I swear it was the ugliest thing, the seat didn’t even have a cover, it was bare metal. You felt every bump and wobble. That didn’t matter a bit to my dad. He hopped on and rode around the lawn like he was a movie star.
He used to wake me earlier in the morning, we are talking before 6 a.m., after I had been out late the night before. He was ready for breakfast and was looking for someone to serve him up a mess of biscuits and gravy topped with runny eggs.
One particular morning I was feeling especially bad but I got up anyway. Just as I was about to serve them up, he sat down at the table, ready to eat and he laughed until he cried. I had made sausage gravy the color and consistency of peanut butter. It tasted just fine but he never let me forget that breakfast. What fun.
He loved his bluegrass music, which lives on in me. When I am feeling blue and need my dad, I open up Win-Amp, turn up the volume and listen to the banjo, the dulcimer and fiddle. My dad could make a banjo come alive. Even today, I can’t hear the sound of a banjo playing that it doesn’t immediately take me back to his hillbilly music.
Banjo Demonstration
The older I get, the more I realize just how important family traditions are. It’s easy to say, “Oh, I’m too tired this year.” Sadly, I’ve done it myself. No matter how much we love our computers, cameras and other toys, as the years pass the things we remember most are precious time spent with family and friends.
Dulcimer Lesson
If you’ve never experienced the sound of the banjo, dulcimer or fiddle, decide right now to do so. They may not be your cup of tea but then again, you might be missing out on something great. I might not have enjoyed the music as much as I do, had it not been for my own father lending his love to me.