“And I am not frightened of dying
Any time will do, I don’t mind
Why should I be frightened of dying?
There’s no reason for it, you’ve gotta go sometime
If you can hear this whispering you are dying”
After a long batter with Multiple Sclerosis, my father passed away on January 30, 2020. Although it brings me great sadness, I know he’s in a better place. The battle he fought was not easy but he did it with such grace. He looked fear in the the face and took on life head first. After many years being confined to a chair he was finally set free, surrounded by the people he loved the most.
If you knew my father you knew him for his incredible joy and kindness but you also probably knew him for his love of music. He had a blog where he wrote about music with a dash of trivia. He loved to share his thoughts with the people around him and was a great teacher at that. He had a real knack for rock and roll trivia and loved to spend hours quizzing me on lead singers and album names. You could definitely say he was the most influential person in my musical journey. He was someone who really knew how to live in the moment which is something so many of us search for…he found it. He would lay back into his chair with a good pair of headphones and listen to an album in full (he particularly like progg music for this reason.) His eyes wouldn’t open until that album was finished and his face showed full bliss the whole time. It’s was incredible. The way he used music to be present was really inspiring and something I admire about him. When I have those moments myself I feel him right beside me.
I remember being 15 driving my dad around in the minivan blaring “Dark Side Of The Moon” with the windows down on our way to the movies. Many kids that age would have been embarrassed to be seen driving a mini van with a handicapped dad, blaring oldies…but not me. I was pretty proud of him. He was the coolest and I wanted to be just like him. We had many daddy daughter dates like that. Nights at the record shop or lunch at the local burrito bar; I miss simple times like that.
This album (and many others) will always hold a special place in my heart. It brings me back to those times with him.
Dad, you inspire me every day to be a better person just by loving me as much as you could. I will miss the way you made a room feel, and your killer taste in music. Most of all I’ll miss the joy and love you brought everyday. Thank you dad for everything. I love you.
See you in The Great Gig in the Sky🤟
