A few years ago, I was asked to contribute to a small, independent magazine called Asterisk. The theme of the first issue was spark. I chose my father as the subject of my piece.
Some of my most favorite memories of my dad involve some combination of astronomy, piano and nature. Whether it was standing in the middle of our driveway at any given hour of the night stargazing or singing along to The Beatles as my dad played the piano, the spark and passion he had for these hobbies was evident. Growing up, we would often pick up litter, or 'rosebuds' as he called it, along the side of the road. He was a servant to his community - teaching me about giving back and keeping our planet clean, "for the next guy."
In the last 10 years, his mental spark has slowly started to fade - with a number of health issues playing a huge factor along with his age. But in spite of his cognitive decline, he still plays the piano everyday and can point out nearly all the constellations in the night sky. And in the spring, you can still see him picking up rosebuds on the side of the road.
“Images of broken light, which
Dance before me like a million eyes
They call me on and on across the universe.
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe.”
A year after the magazine was published, I had a print framed for my dad and presented it to him for his 70th birthday. He liked it. :)