FebMusMo #8 – Parents

Today’s prompt was kind of… hard for me.  

Prompt: "Play the songs that remind you of your mom and dad."

First my mom:  
 
 

The Ark – It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane

I mentioned my friend Borje before.  This was the first song he passed along to me from Sweden and Mom fell in love with it, and the band.  I ended up buying all their CDs for her.  I think she just liked the idea of only fools are sane.  I don’t know why, but they were fun and Mom adores them still.  In fact, I need to burn another copy of their CDs so she can take them in the car – we keep the originals in a box under my bed so they don’t get scratched up.

And now, my dad.  

This prompt has me remembering a time when I actually got along with my dad…

One New Years Eve, I sat up with him and we talked.  I think I was 12 or so… maybe younger.  We listened to Hawaiian music and talked about life, and everything going on in our minds.  He told me how to be a good person, told me to love my family, to be proud of the sacrifices I had to make in order to help my ‘ohana.  I told him about my fears and my thoughts and just… it was good.  We were drinking.  He had a 40 ounce beer and for the first time he let me have some.  I had my own little glass, no more than 4 ounces or something, but I was being treated like an adult.  The only song I could remember from the night was Brother Iz’s "I’ll Be There."  

For years and years the only thing I could remember about this song were the lines: "When I was a little boy my grandfather said to me.  He said help your friends and neighbors to live in harmony.  When a man walks in darkness he stumbles right from wrong. You should be his brother and help him all along"  And that was so powerful to me.  I still feel the power in those words.  

I miss him.  I miss the father that I sat up with that night, the one who let me have my first taste of beer, who actually talked to me, and listened.