It was just a quick glance, but then a swift repeat. It was a little like looking into the face of my daddy. Even though I knew that was impossible, the longing was strong enough that I had to work to hold the tears away.
John was sitting across the table from me at IHOP where we were enjoying a Friday morning breakfast in the midst of running errands. We had already been to do our early voting before dropping some paperwork off at the bank in an effort to try to speed along official signing for the refinancing of our mortgage. I said, “There is a man who looks so much like my dad. Maybe you will be able to see him, too. He is just walking by. He looked at me and then he looked again so maybe I reminded him of someone he knows, too.” I smiled as I added, “Maybe a daughter.”
John said, “Yes, I see him and I see what you mean. He’s earthy.”
I added, “Not a businessman, in a suit.”
John then asked, “What year did your dad die?”
“1967. I was twenty-seven.”
“So your dad was thirty when you were born.”
We each sat with our own thoughts as we continued our meals.
Breakfast finished, we got up to leave and to my surprise, faced the aforementioned man-reminder-of-my-daddy. John had been sitting where he had the advantage of knowing this all along. Having never met a stranger, he had made a plan. I was behind him when he stopped at the booth where the man sat aisle side. A young woman was on the inside of the bench seat to his left. Across the table from them sat a gray-haired woman I assumed to be his wife. John said, “Sir, I want to thank you for coming into IHOP today. You reminded my wife of her dad who passed away in 1967.”
At the same time the young woman beside him said, “Ooh,” in a soothing manner, the man’s pleased response, directed to me was, “I hope you have good memories.”
I assured him, “Oh, I do.”
“Then I am glad I helped,” he said.”
I thanked him as I told the family to enjoy one another. I didn’t feel the need to remind them that life was unpredictable. My hope for that young girl was that she be able to enjoy her daddy longer than I enjoyed the company of mine.
The comfort for me when battling the tears earlier was in the knowing that Daddy is safe in his eternal home. Still, there are times when there is that great longing: I’d like a hug from my daddy.
© Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 10-29-2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
MEMORIZING GRANDMA’S HEARTBEAT
A grandchild is born
Grandma lives far away
Yet gets to spend time
With him today
He snuggles in close
And takes a sweet rest
They rock and relax ~
His head on her breast.
He hears without knowing
Something quite neat ~
He’s memorizing
His Grandma’s heartbeat
© Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore
10-15-2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
WANTIN' AIN'T GETTIN'
My recent birthday celebration brought back more memories of my life as a little girl in Maine. As long as I can remember, I did not readily accept my position as both the baby, and the only girl, in the family of four children. I wanted a sister!
Since my parents didn’t seem to be doing anything about it by the time I was approaching school age, I decided to take matters into my own hands. As I stood by the back steps of house of my first-grade friend, I lied to her mother, “My mamma is going to have a baby.”
Standing quietly off to my right, with a smirk causing the dimple in his right cheek to deepen as I went on with my explanation, was my brother who was three-and-a-half-years older than I. “Of course Kent wants another brother, but Mamma and I want a baby girl.”
If I had to choose to make an announcement to the world, I certainly chose well. Not only was this woman the mother of my little friend, she also happened to be the village newscaster…except there was no radio station.
No matter your age, be sure your sins will find you out. It wasn’t very long before mine caught up with me.
My mother caught up with me, too. Is it enough to say she was not happy hearing the news through the grapevine about her expected baby…the one she was not expecting? And when she confronted me, do you think she really cared about my being unhappy that she wasn’t really expecting? Maybe if I had just kept quiet at that point, I wouldn’t have found out how swiftly her dainty hand could slather some Ivory soap across her open palm and the underside of her fingers. My eyes opened wider than my mouth as she then fast-swiped that bit of suds over my tongue, creating a taste I never wished to try again.
Many birthdays have come and gone since that long ago fall. In the meantime, one of my own children told a similar tale to his kindergarten teacher and class about an expected baby in our family.
I received a phone call. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Why didn’t I tell you what?” I asked.
“That you are expecting,” my friend who had grown to be as close as a sister replied.
“Because I’m not! Where did you hear that?” I asked, in disbelief!
“Steve said Chip told Mrs. SoSo you were sick and couldn’t fix his breakfast this morning because you were going to have a baby.”
I didn’t wash Chip’s mouth out with soap. He thought he already had enough punishment by being the middle child, the only boy, in a family with three kids. He just wanted a brother. What? Didn’t he know how blessed he was to already have not just one, but two sisters?
I never did get mine.
© Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 10-4-2010
Since my parents didn’t seem to be doing anything about it by the time I was approaching school age, I decided to take matters into my own hands. As I stood by the back steps of house of my first-grade friend, I lied to her mother, “My mamma is going to have a baby.”
Standing quietly off to my right, with a smirk causing the dimple in his right cheek to deepen as I went on with my explanation, was my brother who was three-and-a-half-years older than I. “Of course Kent wants another brother, but Mamma and I want a baby girl.”
If I had to choose to make an announcement to the world, I certainly chose well. Not only was this woman the mother of my little friend, she also happened to be the village newscaster…except there was no radio station.
No matter your age, be sure your sins will find you out. It wasn’t very long before mine caught up with me.
My mother caught up with me, too. Is it enough to say she was not happy hearing the news through the grapevine about her expected baby…the one she was not expecting? And when she confronted me, do you think she really cared about my being unhappy that she wasn’t really expecting? Maybe if I had just kept quiet at that point, I wouldn’t have found out how swiftly her dainty hand could slather some Ivory soap across her open palm and the underside of her fingers. My eyes opened wider than my mouth as she then fast-swiped that bit of suds over my tongue, creating a taste I never wished to try again.
Many birthdays have come and gone since that long ago fall. In the meantime, one of my own children told a similar tale to his kindergarten teacher and class about an expected baby in our family.
I received a phone call. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Why didn’t I tell you what?” I asked.
“That you are expecting,” my friend who had grown to be as close as a sister replied.
“Because I’m not! Where did you hear that?” I asked, in disbelief!
“Steve said Chip told Mrs. SoSo you were sick and couldn’t fix his breakfast this morning because you were going to have a baby.”
I didn’t wash Chip’s mouth out with soap. He thought he already had enough punishment by being the middle child, the only boy, in a family with three kids. He just wanted a brother. What? Didn’t he know how blessed he was to already have not just one, but two sisters?
I never did get mine.
© Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 10-4-2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)