Monday, June 26, 2006
Father's Day
I have been so busy that I didn’t get a chance to thank Clarity for the wonderful Father’s Day present she created for me. I had the idea when she and her Hubby Eric were having some finicial difficulties and were looking for a way to make some extra money. She is such an amazing artist, I am lucky to have one of her earlier works to hang…that it is a portrait of my dad is even better.
This way I can say I “knew” her when.
I met up with my Dad at my brothers house and I showed him the picture that I sent to Clarity and I asked if he remembered it. He said yes it was taken on the USS Salisbury Sound around 1952-53. I then asked if he liked that particular picture, and he said “well yeah, it is ok I guess” I then whipped out the portrait and I said well I hope you lkike it because I had this made for you from it.
His eyes, welled up immediately (like mine are doing as I write this down) and his voice cracked into an unintelligible hoarse whisper, and he got out “I don’t know what to say” He then broke out with a sob of joy. He stood there holding that portrait and looking into the drawing taking in all of the details. I could see that in his eyes he was transported back 53 years to the deck of his ship and could feel the wind on his freshly shaved scalp as he posed in front of a flag that was yet to represent all 50 states. I could see he was once again looking into the camera that his shipmate held, even if he couldn’t tell me who took the picture, I know he could see the lens, and at that moment he was 21 again.
His eyes have seen a lot since then, and they now have crows feet and laugh lines, but on this last fathers day, they saw into the past and the memories flooded over him like a warm familiar blanket. We stood and cried together as the emotions over took all of us.
None of this could have been possible were it not for the talents of open very special woman and her pencil.
Thank you Clarity. That portrait is more than charcoal and parchment, it is a time machine and even though it is set to only travel one way for one man, and only one day, it works flawlessly, and it is on 24 hours a day.
This way I can say I “knew” her when.
I met up with my Dad at my brothers house and I showed him the picture that I sent to Clarity and I asked if he remembered it. He said yes it was taken on the USS Salisbury Sound around 1952-53. I then asked if he liked that particular picture, and he said “well yeah, it is ok I guess” I then whipped out the portrait and I said well I hope you lkike it because I had this made for you from it.
His eyes, welled up immediately (like mine are doing as I write this down) and his voice cracked into an unintelligible hoarse whisper, and he got out “I don’t know what to say” He then broke out with a sob of joy. He stood there holding that portrait and looking into the drawing taking in all of the details. I could see that in his eyes he was transported back 53 years to the deck of his ship and could feel the wind on his freshly shaved scalp as he posed in front of a flag that was yet to represent all 50 states. I could see he was once again looking into the camera that his shipmate held, even if he couldn’t tell me who took the picture, I know he could see the lens, and at that moment he was 21 again.
His eyes have seen a lot since then, and they now have crows feet and laugh lines, but on this last fathers day, they saw into the past and the memories flooded over him like a warm familiar blanket. We stood and cried together as the emotions over took all of us.
None of this could have been possible were it not for the talents of open very special woman and her pencil.
Thank you Clarity. That portrait is more than charcoal and parchment, it is a time machine and even though it is set to only travel one way for one man, and only one day, it works flawlessly, and it is on 24 hours a day.
