Today would have been my dad’s 99th birthday, had he not passed away almost 25 years ago.
Here’s something I wrote a little over a decade ago about my dad on the anniversary of his passing.
I was running some errands this morning and a song I had not heard in a long time came up on my playlist while I was driving. It was “Everybody Loves Somebody” which was a chart-topping hit for Dean Martin in the latter part of 1964. It brought back a memory of watching my mom and dad dance to that song when it was played, and how happy they seemed. My dad was no Fred Astaire (and I, sadly, inherited his lack of dancing prowess) but I remember my mom looking so happy as they danced to that song when I was 9 years old.
That song coming up was actually a surprise because I don’t even remember adding it to my playlist, though surely I must have at some point in the past. I don’t really believe in this type of thing but maybe, just maybe, it coming up was dad saying “Hi” and dropping a pleasant memory for me on his birthday. If so, thanks dad.
I love you and miss you.
As we get older, I have contemplated the fact I will not have my parents around one day… and music is always the catalyst. Yesterday in NY the diner was playing “Midnight Train to Georgia” and I was telling Mikey how you and I use to sing it in the car sometimes, me being Gladys and you were the Pips. And I realized that I will likely dissolve into tears if I hear that when you’re gone. It’s not the only song, but it’s one of many.