728 FATHER'S DAY ODE TO MY DAD :)

Good morning and Happy Father's Day to you!  :)
As our extended family is actively planning a gala weekend in celebration of my mom's 100th birthday, which is coming up, very soon, a flurry of group emails have been flying through cyberspace from state to state.  This week, reminders of my parents' antics flew back and forth, and as human nature often proves naturally funny, we laughed, again and again ... and this is good.  Very good :)   Today, I awoke reminiscent of cherished memories, which enrich my heart whenever my dad comes to mind, and having penned those thoughts in a poem, posted on Father's Day, last year, here is that loving ode, again:

What is an ode?
An ode is a poem expressing exalted emotion
Though often times an ode is a poem which may be sung
Reality suggests you may not want to hear me try to carry a tune :)

So ...
With the approach of Father's Day, every year
My mind turns toward quiet thoughts of this poem
Describing the depth of my love for my dad

In loving memory of my lifelong friend
Imagine me walking outside, onto my patio
Where, gazing up into the bright blue sky—
Which Dad had loved so well—

I envision my father's high spirited, warm hearted smile
Beaming down with warmth from on high
And in this way am I enveloped, again and again
Within the safe haven of Dad's undying embrace ... Which

Had protected my sense of security
From succumbing to fear
When as an innocent child ...
I’d yet to experience the ravages of life ... And

Each time I conjure up the boundless nature
Of Dad's capacity for love, my spirit breathes in
The adventurous joie de vie with which Dad's heart and mind
Had soaked in countless aspects of a life well lived

Though most say:
'I hope to die in my sleep'
Dad found a more fulfilling way
To leave this world for the next

With no clue that he was about to depart this life
Dad left all sense of conscious awareness behind
While sitting on the couch, holding forth a glass of wine ...
With which he’d just toasted his 'bride' of sixty years ...

And thus did Dad breathe his last breath while kissing my mom
So, if you were to ask “Annie, what hath empowered thy spirit
With the true meaning of lasting love”, I'd reply, twas my good fortune
To experience my parents’ unconditional love throughout my life ...

Happy Father's Day, Dad
For countless reasons
I'll love you, forever and ever
And most likely even longer than that ...