Dedicated To A Special Man...

MY PA

My Pa can light my room at night
By just his being near
And make a fearful dream all right
By grinning ear to ear
My Pa can do most anything
He sets his mind to do
He'd even move a mountain
If he really wanted to
My Pa can sweeten up a day
That clouds and rain make gray
And tell me funny stories
That will chase the clouds away
My Pa's the only one on Earth
I can tell my troubles to
His arms are house and home to me
His face's a pretty poem to me
My Pa's the finest man
I ever knew
I only wish that you
Could know him too...

[Witten by M.Leonard & H.Martin, 1965]

I used to sing this Barbra Streisand song to my brothers and sisters, and then I sang it to my own kids, along with all the other songs on the "My Name Is Barbra" album. It touched me deeply and sometimes when singing it my voice would crack, because I would get so emotional.

My Dad died at the age of 42 of a brain tumor, when I was just 16 years old. I never felt very close to my Dad, although I really wanted to be. My Dad did not do the things in the song that seemed so sweet to me. Not his fault, it was the way he was raised. I knew he loved me and my siblings and our Mom, but he had a difficult time expressing it.

Luckily, my children had a Daddy who hugged and kissed them all the time, spent time with them, and was the best Daddy he could be when they were growing up, even though he never had a father of his own, to show him the way it's done. He still is their Dad, even though they are adults, and they go to him for advice, and to talk about the things going on in their lives.

I thank my husband for being the father our children needed growing up, and still need today!

*Kisses and Hugs Darling*