Wednesday, July 7, 2010

On My Father's 86th Birthday




He’s an old man now
Set in his ways

Vitamin popper
One mile walker
Reader, thinker, preacher
He visits people in that remote Canadian village
Relatives, friends, church folk.

He works on his house
Paints it
Tarred the roof last year
Mows the grass
Splits firewood

He cares for Mom
Drives her places
Pays the bills
Buys the groceries

He’s an old man now
Once young and vital
Hard-working, thrifty
Conservative but unconventional
No cookie-cutter

He watches every Christian show on TV
Too lenient on his tenants
But Jesus is OK with that, I think

He doesn’t exactly get what I do
And for some reason I still look for his approval,
His blessing, even with grandbabies of my own
What’s up with that?

I feel guilty living 1000 miles away
My sister lives near him
And too much responsibility falls to her
Sorry, sis

It’s great to have a phone plan
That lets me call my folks
Every day if I want
Usually twice a week now

I hope to see him in seventeen days
He’ll be waiting for hugs,
My wife broke down his hug barrier
Thirty years ago
He expects it now.

We’ll take my folks out to dinner
Drive them around
Celebrate the birthdays we missed this year
And the sixtieth wedding anniversary

We’ll talk politics and theology
Walk together in the morning
Maybe chew spruce gum

He may say something important about his estate
Maybe not
We’ll listen to his stories
Treasure ten brief days
He’ll pray for us
Before we get in the car to go

He’s an old man now
A good man

8 comments:

  1. Thanks Bim, I'm grateful to God for living parents whom I can still honor.

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  2. Your dad doesn't look 86! He looks like he has your sense of humour (the same smile anyway). I love the poetic tribute.

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  3. Thanks Philip. He has a very dry wit, but will sometimes laugh at a silly thing and have trouble getting stopped. He doesn't look 86.

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  4. A friend (who is a country fiddler) told his neighbour on his 80th birthday that he would hate to live till he was 80. The neighbour answered "wait till your 79 and say that again". He then said, "if I'd known I was going to live so long I'd have looked after myself better".

    My mum is 94 and has never been more content.

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  5. Great story, Philip! You're blessed to still have your mum.

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  6. Makes me think of my dad. Another good man. They were not quite the same but similarities come to mind.

    Drink in the moments with him long and slowly during those ten days.

    Savour them.

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  7. Thanks Ralph,
    I don't know why you lost your dad so soon. He was a very good man.
    I think Dad and Mom will be coming to Yarmouth area with us, probably Monday, July 26th for a day or two. When do you expect to be there?

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