the deepening ground

In general, I hate greeting card holidays. However, making a regular habit of honoring our fathers and mothers finds its roots in something far deeper and comes with the promise of a long and full life. I don’t celebrate Mother’s Day or Father’s Day because it’s printed on my calendar. I celebrate those days because I have been blessed with parents who have loved me and shaped me into the man I am today. I lost my mother five years ago. Gratefully, my father is still alive and we continue to share our love of The Beatles (he sent me a recent video of Paul McCartney performing today, in fact) and tips on car maintenance, such as how to remove stubborn calipers when replacing brakes on my van.

My father-in-law passed away over a decade ago, and the song I’ve included today was written in his honor while he was still alive. I have been blessed with in-laws who defy the stereotypes, who have loved and supported my wife and me throughout all stages of our marriage. I pray I can be like them for my children’s spouses as that season of life rapidly approaches. But beyond that, this song speaks of a father’s love that goes beyond this physical and temporal realm. I echo this sentiment on the song “A Father’s Love” off my 2012 album, At the In Between which you can also find on my Songs page or here at BandCamp.

Without further ado, here’s to all those fathers who have willingly sacrificed of themselves for their families on life’s many battlefields. May you have the strength to endure and the vision to reject passivity, accept responsibility, lead courageously, and live for the greater reward!

Father

Vincent H. Anastasi - 2009

He sits in his chair unaware
Of the pride I feel inside
And words they fail as he nods in and out of a dream
	That can’t be described
Evening offers such small reprieve
And though a child crying keeps me up some
It’s the man in the chair, the words that he’s shared
	That greet me like the rising sun

I hold the love of an amazing father
And though I’m not his own
That just makes no difference to me
For in the love of this amazing father
I find I’m more at home
Than anyplace I’ll ever be

His vision is blurry but his mind,
His mind is alive - with mem’ries and songs
And though I could wish to turn back the time
	I was born when I was born
But there’s little more that satisfies
Than the words he says – “well done”
And I rise from the ashes
And lies’ brutal lashes
	To see with the eyes of a son

	Chorus

Cautiously walking, softly talking,
I watch him head out for the night
He leaves with a cane but never the shame
	Young men try to hide
I stand wavering inside the door
Even after the car’s out of sight
In the dark I stumble back up to my room
	With my wife and his love deep inside

	Chorus